Writer’s block, a term used when writers are having a difficult time moving forward in their work, is something that many writers have experienced. Authors of anything from short essays to dissertations to novels understand the frustration that comes from the writing process and the anxiety that follows the simple mention of publishing.

Dr. Lanya Lamouria, assistant professor of English at Missouri State University, urges students not to give up hope, because the frustration is all a part of the process. “It takes a long time to publish something, but it is a great thing to have as a goal,” said Lamouria. “Nobody should feel bad if they send stuff out and get rejected. Part of the process of becoming an author is getting rejected.”

Undergraduate Literature Conference April 17-18

In April, Lamouria will be heading a new literature conference for current students on April 17 and 18 at the Plaster Student Union. The MSU Undergraduate Literature Conference is meant to give students an opportunity to present their paper to their peers.

Lamouria put this conference together to not only help the student body grow as writers through peer feedback, but to give students an opportunity to add to their resumé and prepare for publishing.

Learn more about the MSU Undergraduate Literature Conference.

Write, submit, edit, repeat

As a long-time writer herself, Lamouria laments not having published any of her works until after she received a Ph.D. Always an encourager, she advises that students who want to take a work outside of the classroom and get it published begin thinking about their work in another way.

“One thing that changes when a project moves from the classroom to publication is that projects often get more ambitious,” said Lamouria. “Usually in a classroom setting a student doesn’t have to write a paper that talks about a lot of different scholarship. If you are going to publish something, you really have to indicate how your work fits into other people’s work.”

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