Have you ever done NaNoWriMo? 50,000 words in a month. One of the things they do is a "Word war" - set an amount of time (15 minutes), and try to write as many words as possible. The one who writes the most wins. Very good for writer's block.

Maybe if you could find someone who's also having to do a paper, you could attempt a similar thing? Might help you get the start you need to finish the paper.