✨ Free Resource: Download my 10 Writing Prompts to Beat the Blank Page → https://staceygarrepy.net/prompts

If the sight of a blank page sends you into a mild panic (or a full-blown spiral), you are so not alone, friend. In this episode of Crayons in My Manuscript, we’re tackling the fear of the blank page head-on. I’ll share 6 real, doable strategies to get you unstuck and writing again.

As a First-Gen, parenting academic and writing coach, I know firsthand how hard it can be to write when your brain feels fried, your time is limited, and perfectionism is whispering SHOUTING in your ear. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to wait for inspiration or perfect conditions to start. You need some tweaks in your mindset, as well as a toolkit that works for real life to paraphrase a popular anthropomorphized Australian Blue Heeler (parents, iykyk).

In this episode, we’ll talk about 🖊️ The real reasons we freeze at the blank page (hint: it’s not laziness). 🎯 How perfectionism and comparison feed writing anxiety. 💡 Why “never start with a blank page” is the best writing advice you’ll ever get. 🪄 Six practical ways to start writing right now—even if you only have 10 minutes. 🌈 How to transform your anxiety into creative momentum.

Whether you’re a doctoral student, young professor, or nontraditional academic juggling kids, shift work, or military life—this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen and learn how to stop fearing the blank page and start writing with courage, clarity, and joy.

☕ Support the show: https://coff.ee/staceygarrepy

📺 Subscribe for more: Writing support for academics with full plates and even fuller hearts.

#AcademicWriting #WritingAnxiety #ProductivityForParents #CrayonsInMyManuscript #PhDLife #FirstGenAcademics

You’re in the flow, revising an article. Your deadline is tomorrow. And just then, your laptop freezes. Work lost. 😱

This episode explores 7 tips for how to respond calmly, protect your work, and build a writing practice that doesn’t collapse when technology does.

📔 Download the cheat sheet – 12 Writing Prompts to Bust Through Academic Writer’s Block! https://www.staceygarrepy.net/prompts 😊

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☕ Want to say thanks? A cup of coffee is the quickest way to this academic’s heart!

You can buy me one here: https://buymeacoffee.com/staceygarrepy.

Dr. Stacey Garrepy explains why we procrastinate: our brains crave finished loops, need rest to process ideas, and avoid the vulnerability of writing. She reassures listeners that procrastination is not laziness.

She offers practical strategies, namely: naming and befriending your feelings, trying an imposter or "worry hour" to get them out, set tiny, achievable goals (even one paragraph), and use grounding changes to reset your brain so you can make steady writing progress.

Want to support the channel? A cup of coffee is the quickest way to an academic’s heart! You can buy her one here: https://buymeacoffee.com/staceygarrepy.

Dr. Stacey Garrepy explores writing anxiety and the inner critic, sharing a personal story about harsh feedback and the physical, emotional toll it can take on academic writers.

She offers practical strategies—self-compassion, mindfulness (5-4-3-2-1), creating a supportive environment, short regular writing sessions, reframing the inner critic as a coach, and celebrating small wins—to help writers move from paralysis to progress.

This episode normalizes writing anxiety, addresses challenges faced by nontraditional and non-native English writers, and gives clear tools to reclaim confidence and momentum in scholarly work.

Want to support the channel? A cup of coffee is the quickest way to an academic’s heart! You can buy her one here: https://buymeacoffee.com/staceygarrepy.

Launch day is here! 🎉

I originally planned to release three full episodes today, but my final one encountered technical rendering issues on my current computer. Rather than delay the entire launch, I’m releasing two full episodes now — and next Tuesday you’ll hear a minisode on what to do when your writing tech fails you (a very timely topic).

Welcome to Crayons in My Manuscript — where real academic life meets sustainable writing.