How to Start (Contextualization)

Gain Clarity

    Use Existing Resources

    Use New Resources

Fear of the Blank Page

    Be a Little Ridiculous!

    Skip It!  Bop It!

    Pre-Writing

It's really hard to start anything if you lack clarity about the task.  Our brains don't love uncertainty.  They're busy trying to keep us from being eaten by lions.  So when we see something, and we're not sure what to do about it, we often avoid it.  That seems better than being lion brunch.  In other words, if you lack clarity, it's hard to stick around the thing that makes you uncomfortable.

The solution here is to decrease the discomfort by gaining clarity about what you're doing.  This reduces the difficulty of starting the task.  Here are some strategies for finding quality information to point you in the right direction.

If you're not sure how to move forward, sometimes its helpful to look backward.  If writing the contextualization is intimidating, review your notes.  This includes any handouts, links, or examples your teacher provided.

It's always best to use the resources your teacher gave you first.  Your teacher gets to grade your paper, and the resources they've signed off on are the most likely to align with their expectations.

Outside resources are riskier because they may not match exactly what your teacher expects.  On the other hand, they can help give you new perspectives about the task.  Here are a few quality resources I recommend:

• I have a series of posts on the "how" of the contextualization point.  You can find the AP US History version here.  The AP World History one lives here.
• The College Board posts sample essays from past years exams.  This is the best place to find sample responses.  You can see what other people have written for contextualization, if they earned the point, AND why they earned it.  AP US History essays are at this link.  AP World History essays are that this link.  (Once you get to the website, click on the year, then on "Samples and Commentary."  From there, you'll want to select one of the DBQ or LEQ options.)

A blank page can be intimidating.  It's totally normal to suddenly blank or second-guess yourself once you have to write.  I've seen dozens of students, who were perfectly well-versed in the topic and task freeze when it was time to start committing ideas to the page.  So I want you to know that this is part of the experience of writing.  It's normal.  Don't panic.

For some, this happens because the blank page itself is intimidating.  You may be worried about being judged (graded) on your work.  The topic may seem to large.  If writing an essay, or an AP style essay, is new, then you may be suddenly uncertain.  Your brain doesn't like uncertainty, and it also doesn't like things that seem like a threat.  It can be easy here to avoid (by delaying writing) or spiral into stronger feelings.

Luckily, there is a cure for Blank Page Syndrome.  It's fairly straight forward, even if it's not always easy.

You have to make the page not-blank.  No blank page, no more fear of the blank page.  This means that you have to push through those initial feelings of overwhelm.  The sooner you get to a page that isn't blank, the sooner you'll feel that stress recede.

Here are three strategies to help you bridge the gap!

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, our beloved protagonists meet the boggart.  This sneaky creature shape-shifts into the thing you are most afraid of.  The solution?

Laughter.  The students in the book learn to cast the spell Riddikulus!  This forces the boggart to turn into something, well, ridiculous.  As it turns out, it's hard to laugh and be afraid at the same time.

You can use the same strategy here.  One way to banish the fear of the blank page is by writing something very silly.  "Riddikulus!" might work.  Or you could be totally melodramatic.  "Sign in me, O Muse!"  Or musical!  "Never gonna give you up.  Never gonna let you down."

If that's enough to get you over the hurdle, then ride that wave until the end.  It won't hurt you to leave your silly phrase on the AP exam.  For a more polished look, wait until the end to delete your silliness from your paper.  If you delete it at the beginning, then you're back to a blank page.

There is no obligation to write an essay in the same order it will be read in.  I often recommend skipping contextualization and starting with the thesis.

This works on several levels:

• It puts words on the page.  No blank page, no more fear of the blank page.
• It helps you gain momentum.  It's often easier to keep going than it is to start.
• It's strategic.  Far more students earn the thesis and evidence points.  The drop down to contextualization is significant.  Thus, it makes more sense to prioritize the parts of the exam that are easier.
• It's often easier to contextualize a topic after you've written extensively about it.  You may remember information that sparks a new idea in the process of writing.

Pre-writing is any type of writing you do before you begin writing your essay.  It includes outlines, diagrams, a draft thesis, or generating ideas.  Pre-writing doesn't have to be complicated.  Some of the best essays I've written started as six words scrawled on a scrap piece of paper.

Pre-writing is glorious on many levels.  One of them is that it gives you a place to start.  Your first writing on the topic won't be your essay.  Instead, you write something that no one will see or grade first.  Now, you don't have a blank page.  Just starting makes it easier.

Pre-writing is also a really great way to gain clarity about the direction you want your writing to take.  Remember that clarity helps make a task less intimidating.

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This material is based on my interpretation of the AP World History Course and Exam Description and AP US History Course and Exam Description.  I have also used my experience working in education for the past decade.  The views expressed on this page are my own.  AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered and owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.