Any student, at any academic stage, has to write a research-based paper, essay or dissertation from scratch for homework during any term with a tight deadline to meet.
Before starting any of these projects, whether it is an essay or dissertation, you have to know what you are going to write about. This will help you in writing your thesis, brainstorm your ideas and start researching. This need not take you all term; your tutor will have given you samples or topics to choose from.
Tips in helping you begin:
With this new found knowledge that you have learnt from researching your chosen topic perhaps now, you are feeling more confident and able to tackle that blank page. Using a template, if you have chosen to use one, you can fill in the blanks and assert your knowledge in the right places. If you are not using a template, then you have the freedom to place facts and ideas where you wish, as long as they are in a coherent and workable order.
Leave this piece of writing and work on something else, don’t mix your work for different subjects if you don’t need to as like some paints, they don’t mix, and you do not want to become confused. A rough draft is a lot more fun to work with and is malleable enough for you to work with and perfect, so don’t worry if it isn’t already. As long as the draft is complete then you can have the opportunity to relax a little.
If it needs to be typed, don’t forget to do so and hand it in on time, make sure your hard work hasn't been for anything!
When writing from scratch remember that preparation is the most important tool, and then the rest will flow easily.