How Do You Explode Your Writer’s Block?
Judging by the number of aspiring authors that attend RT’s annual convention, I am guessing many of you reading this are writers of one degree or another. Whether just starting out or newly published or you have lots of books under your belt, I am sure you all experience the same thing at some point in your writing: writer’s block.
Writer’s block is something vicious and cruel. It can stop you for a few minutes or for a lifetime. It can cause you to be stuck on a chapter, a scene, or just from getting started. Writer’s block is painful for anyone who knows there’s a story waiting to come out but the fingers just aren’t typing the words.
So what do you do when the words just won’t come?
From my extensive reading on the subject (while procrastinating my own writing), here are some of the best tips I have found for busting that block.
- Do something mindless. Can’t think of that next scene to write? Do something that doesn’t require a lot of brainpower. Wash the dishes, files some papers, take a bath. Something that doesn’t involve actively thinking about what you are writing. Often, an idea will appear while you are away from the writing and you can get back to it.
- Go outside. Go for a run or walk. Take the dog out. Take the kid out in their stroller. Get outside and look around you. Inspiration can be found by watching people, enjoying the weather and just taking a good look at what’s around you. Also, just like the tip above, this allows the writing to move to the back burner, giving your brain time to process without getting in the way of yourself.
- Read. Reading may sound counterintuitive, but reading allows you to focus on what works. Pick a book by an author you enjoy and pay attention to what you like about their story. Maybe you can apply it to your own work.
Those are some of my suggestions for blasting your writer’s block out of your way. What tips do you use to break down those barriers to your writing? Share them in the comments!
Nicole
Writer’s block is something vicious and cruel. It can stop you for a few minutes or for a lifetime. It can cause you to be stuck on a chapter, a scene, or just from getting started. Writer’s block is painful for anyone who knows there’s a story waiting to come out but the fingers just aren’t typing the words.
So what do you do when the words just won’t come?
From my extensive reading on the subject (while procrastinating my own writing), here are some of the best tips I have found for busting that block.
- Do something mindless. Can’t think of that next scene to write? Do something that doesn’t require a lot of brainpower. Wash the dishes, files some papers, take a bath. Something that doesn’t involve actively thinking about what you are writing. Often, an idea will appear while you are away from the writing and you can get back to it.
- Go outside. Go for a run or walk. Take the dog out. Take the kid out in their stroller. Get outside and look around you. Inspiration can be found by watching people, enjoying the weather and just taking a good look at what’s around you. Also, just like the tip above, this allows the writing to move to the back burner, giving your brain time to process without getting in the way of yourself.
- Read. Reading may sound counterintuitive, but reading allows you to focus on what works. Pick a book by an author you enjoy and pay attention to what you like about their story. Maybe you can apply it to your own work.
Those are some of my suggestions for blasting your writer’s block out of your way. What tips do you use to break down those barriers to your writing? Share them in the comments!
Nicole
posted at 10:32 AM
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