Every writer eventually has to deal with it. From multimillionaire authors, to your amateur blogger, EVERYONE who writes on a regular basis will go through a period of writers block. I seem to go through it a lot more often than I’d like to, which is why I came up with this list of ways to help prevent, defeat or get through even the most severe batch of writers block.
Don’t be too hard on yourself
As I have said, everyone goes through writers block at some point. It’s a natural event for a writer and can be caused by a number of different things. One thing that is for certain though, and that’s you will not defeat writers block if you beat yourself up about it. Just relax and let the ideas come naturally.
Remember why you got into writing
When ideas for writing don’t come naturally, remember why you got into writing in the first place. Think about the inspiration that enabled you to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) in the first place. Maybe it was to write about your favourite sports team, hobby or topic? Maybe it was to create beautiful fiction, or review products? Whatever it was, go back to the start and garner some inspiration from the reason you started all this in the first place.
Change your surroundings
Sometimes, a change of scenery can be all the inspiration you need. If you usually do your writing at a desk or an office, why not move to the garden (weather permitting) or to a comfy sofa or chair? If you find that you just can’t settle in your home, why not go to a coffee shop or a library? Maybe you could sit in the park and take in some nature whilst you think? Whatever you decide, a change of surroundings could be just what you need to gain that inspirational spark you have been missing.
Get inspired
Inspiration is all around us, and each on of us is inspired by different things. An idea can be sparked from the strangest places, so pick up a book, read a magazine, surf the interweb, listen to music, watch TV, go to the cinema, visit a museum, go for a walk, play with your kids, the list goes on. Whatever helps you come up with ideas for writing, do it, and do it in abundance.
Try a writing exercise
This may sound strange, but forcing yourself to do a structured writing exercise may help break the habit of trying to obtain writing perfection. This technique will also help you get accustomed to forcing yourself to get some words down on the page. You never know, you may surprise yourself and come up with some of your best work doing it this way?
Carry a notebook or make notes on your smart phone
How often have you thought of an idea for an article or a story, only to forget it by the time you get the chance to get it down on paper? Why not carry a small notebook with you so you can jot ideas down wherever you are? If you own a smart phone or a digital device, make note on there and email them to yourself/save them for later. You could even purchase a dictaphone for making vocal notes. Most dictaphone’s are small enough to keep in your pocket without even noticing it’s there.
Plan in advance
Rather than sitting down ad-hoc to do your writing, try to make your writing sessions more structured. Plan out a chunk of time each day/week/month to do your writing and stick to the plan as much as possible. You could even go as far as planning in advance what you will write about in that time frame. A bit of structure may be what you need to help you get through writers block.
Step away from writing
Sometimes, time away from writing can be a revitalising experience, especially if you have been pushing yourself too hard. Step away from your writing and enjoy some you time. If you have other hobbies, why not do one of them and forget about writing for a while. There is no point sitting there all frustrated and angry with yourself. Enjoy yourself for a while, and then come back and have another go. You may find that was just the trick.
Do some physical exercise
You can’t beat a bit of vigorous exercise to breathe new life into your body. Not only does it work away all your frustrations, it also helps you think clearly and focus the mind. How many times have you been for a walk to clear your head? Or been at the gym and had an epiphany of sorts whilst hammering the treadmill? Get your heart-rate going, get those muscles pumping, and maybe the ideas will start to flow.
Ask for help
Last but most certainly not least, ask for help. As I stated right at the beginning of this article, every writer will likely have been through this at some point. So who better to ask for advice than other writers? Speak to some authors, bloggers, journalists etc. They may have techniques that you would never have dreamed would work, but might just be the link you have been missing. My very first period of writers block was cured by one of the Daily Waffle’s writers and a good friend of mine, Kay Cooke, who gave me some of the advice on this list. Social Networks make it a lot easier than it used to be to get advice from other people with similar experiences, use these if you don’t know any other writers. Either way, it might be just the thing you need to beat writers block.