My first expository essay is due in 48 hours and i have nothing

[Karen]

Hey guys, so I’m in a bit of a panic mode right now . My freshman comp professor dropped this massive topic on us—"Analyze the socio-economic impacts of the printing press"—and I just stared at the blank document for three hours. It’s 1500 words, and I haven't even picked a specific angle yet. Everyone keeps saying "just pick a side," but for expository writing, it's not about arguing, it's about explaining, right? I feel like I’m drowning in historical facts without a clear path. Has anyone else been paralyzed by a topic that’s just too broad? How do you even begin to narrow down 500 years of history into something manageable without losing the analytical depth the rubric wants? I’m usually a procrastinator, but this time the blank page is actually winning. Any tips for that initial brain-dump phase would be a lifesaver right now!

 

[DerekLae]

Karen, the "staring at a blank doc" phase is the worst. Here's my emergency starter kit:

1. Set a timer for 15 minutes and just vomit everything you know about the printing press onto the page. Don't organize, don't judge, just write. Facts, questions, random thoughts—all of it.
2. Look at your brain dump and circle 3-4 things that feel connected. Maybe: literacy rates, religious authority, scientific communication.
3. Turn those into a rough thesis: "The printing press transformed European society by democratizing knowledge, challenging institutional authority, and accelerating scientific exchange."
4. Now each of those points becomes a body paragraph.

You're not writing a masterpiece yet—you're building a scaffold.