Writing Wednesdays :: Writer's Block

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I suffer from it. My students suffer from it. I'll even wager that other writers suffer from it. Why can it be so hard to begin writing? to continue writing? to finish writing? 

My students struggle with this dilemma and when asked the reasons for their writer's block, many claim I don't have anything to say. This stumps me because our discussions are lively and colorful, insightful and astute. We read. We discuss. We write? There seems to be a disconnect occurring somewhere between conversing and writing. It's as if my students' brains shut off, forgetting to transmit the ideas meshing in their minds down to their fingertips. Slumped bodies, heads turned towards the open windows, pens (or laptops) still. 

I've tried it all. Writing-without-stopping; thought-provoking prompts; music playing in the background; mind maps; freewriting; drawing. And while some methods work better than others, I can't seem to get all my students writing at the same time. 

To be frank, I don't have an answer. I don't know. All I know is this fact: all my students are required to take English 12 and not all my students have a vested interest in reading, thinking, and writing (in the classical terms of RTW). I can't reach them all. Repeat, I can't reach them all. 

I can't reach them all.

But I am okay with it. Because for those few students who walk in ready to learn and willing to take a leap of faith, I see growth and an evolution in the way they read, think, and write. And the block, that stubborn writer's block that paralyzes, melts away, revealing to us the beauty and power of words.