Every writer struggles with it. It’s inevitable. You don’t have a creative bone left in your body, and you want to throw in the towel. However, the secret to writers block is what you do with it. That is what really matters.
Step One: What Is Happening?
Timing: It’s simply not the right time to write. Your ideas may need to brew a little longer before writing them down.
Fear: Many writers struggle with being afraid, with putting their ideas (and themselves) out there for everyone to see and critique. Fear is a major reason why some writers never become professionals.
Perfectionism: You want everything to be just right before you ever put that pen to paper or even touch a keyboard. You try to get it perfect in your head and never do, so you never begin.
Step Two: How Do We Vanquish This Enemy?
It’s a tough question to answer and I’m afraid that I don’t have a great solution. I’ve personally wrestled with writer’s block on many occasions and each victory looked different.
That’s the thing about writing, it’s an art, not a science. You’ll have to approach it that way. There is no formulaic fix and no “7 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer Now.”
Well, except one. However, you already know what it is. Start hacking away. Begin trying stuff. Sometimes, the quirkier that it is, the better. The trick is to find something that works for you. From my own experience, some of my best work has been due to pointless typing.
Step Three: Ways To Get Over Writer's Block
1. If you can, walk away. Go for a walk, read or do anything that inspires you. More often than not, when you stop thinking about writing, it will come to you.
2. Change your environment. If you are struggling to write something in your bedroom, go into the living room. A change of scenery can make a big difference when you are trying to work.
3. Eliminate distractions such as your phone or a cluttered workspace. Ask loved ones to honor your space so that you can write without being interrupted. Giving yourself time and a space to be alone is important for staying focused.
4. Free-writing is allowing your writing to be totally random. Do this for a few minutes and you might catch yourself writing a best-seller. This process trains your brain to tap into the words inside your head, and it gives them a place to live on your computer screen or notebook.
When you apply one or all of these methods, you will find out that writers block is simply a minor speed bump that you can overcome easily.
