Writer's block. It just seems to pop up at the most inconvenient times, like when you're writing a paper due the same day, or maybe when you're writing your Odyssey article. Regardless of the situation, it seems like every time I get writer's block, I feel like I won't get that piece of writing done. Obviously, those pieces of writing have deadlines and most of the time they are assignments that need to be submitted in order to do well in a class.
So here's a list of things that I do in order to overcome a writer's block.
Go outside
Nature is a beautiful thing. Spending time outdoors can help to stimulate creativity, whether its the physical aspect of your surroundings or maybe the change of scenery will help trigger new thoughts and ideas. The best thing about going outside is that you can go anywhere, which means that your sources of inspiration are endless!
Read/ watch the news
I know that the news isn't always exactly the most enlightening thing to see, but maybe a news story will capture your attention and then you can write your piece around the story. Many of my opinion pieces that I've written for Odyssey have come from me seeing something on the news, so the news is a crucial tool that I don't think enough people use both in and out of writing.
Think about your own experiences related to your topic
If the writing piece calls for a theme, then a good place to start is what your experience is with said topic. I find that whenever I begin to write, I like to connect myself to what I'm about to write before I begin to expand upon my writing. Often times, the final product strays away from my personal connection and it takes on a life of its own.
Excersizing
I don't mean going on a big gym sesh (but if you personally think that will help you, then go for it). It can be as simple as going on a walk around your block before you sit your butt back down to write. I usually use exercising to take my mind off of whatever I'm writing so that once I come back to my piece, my mind is fresh and ready to think some more.
Worst comes to worst, just start typing
Alternatively called "word vomit." Most of the time, this is what I resort to and it takes the most time if you care about what you're writing. I say this because word vomit isn't always the most structured way of writing, so you're gonna want to go back and fix things. On the bright side, it's great for generating ideas and to build off from.
Another important thing that I think most people like to skip is giving yourself ample time to write and edit your piece. Some of the best things to ever be written didn't just appear perfectly on the writer's page. The final product almost always looks unrecognizable compared to what it started off as.
Hopefully, this gives all the writers out there a way to come up with new ideas for their writing!
