Everyone's had writer's block at some point in their life. Even if they don't consider themselves a writer, they've had to write an essay or paper and just had no idea what to write about. I'd say that everyone has had a point in their life when they found themselves staring at a white page, their mind completely blank. Maybe you know what will happen in your piece of writing generally, but have no idea how to put that idea from your brain on the paper. This can feel like there is a disconnect between two different parts of your brain. Sometimes, you know exactly what you want to write, but have no idea how to begin, so you are left with a blank page and rage. Other times, you have no idea what to write about at all, and you are not only left without writing, but you are left without ideas. The blank page is a curse that comes to everyone. So, how do we fight it?
1. Find a prompt.
If you're writing a story rather than an essay, it might help to find a prompt online to write about. Just googling story prompts can give you hundreds of ideas. Writing from the prompt helps the creative juices flow. Once you write a short bit of another idea, you will likely find inspiration for your own idea to write.
2. Word vomit.
If you're having trouble coming up with ideas or figuring out the organization of your piece, one of the best things to do is world vomit. This means opening a page and typing every word that comes up about your piece. This can really help while writing essays. Often, many students do not have their thoughts in order when they go to write a paper and do not know where to start. Writing down all of their ideas, albeit messily, allows them to look at their ideas. Looking at all aspects of the essay they have to write may help them organize their thoughts and put them in order. Being able to look at your ideas helps more than thinking about them; the page offers organization. It's also helpful to make outlines or lists.
3. Write about writer's block.
One of my favorite antidotes for writer's block is writing about it. When someone encounters writer's block, they may not have an inkling on how to write their essay or story. They have no way to communicate their thoughts onto the paper, however, there is one thing they are feeling very clearly: the writer's block. When you're writing about the frustration of not being able to put anything on the blank page, you are allowing your brain to communicate thoughts into writing. After this, writing about your topic could possibly be easier.
