Battling Writer’s Block The Easy Way
by Saladin Akara on April 17, 2009
in General Writing, Hints and Tips
All writers know of, and dread, writer’s block. That sudden lack of inspiration, a depletion of creativity. A costing of money, even. It can be one of the great banes of writers’ lives, and is never at all welcomed. So, how can we battle it? How can we unblock our creative pipes?
Try This Simple Irony
My writing of this post is actually a result of my own writer’s block. I had absolutely no idea what to write on my blog, which is probably mostly due to the fact that I have been rather distracted this past week with various away-from-computer issues. So, my mind has been entirely in some other direction than writing of any kind. Let alone writing about writing.
So, I decided, “Hey, I’ve got writer’s block, let’s write about that.” And as you can see, it’s actually worked pretty well. Though probably not as long as my other blog posts, I’ve been able to actually produce a post for you all to read. And hopefully a post that will be helpful.
If you have writer’s block, whether in regards to your novel, blog or any other type of writing, try writing about your writer’s block. It could work wonders in getting those pipes nice and clean once again, at which point… Hey presto! You can write again.
Your Experiences
Give this method a try and let me know how it works for you. Do you have your own tricks for beating writer’s block? If so, share them with us. It’d be great to hear them!
For me, it comes from changing the scene. Get up, go do something else, walk around with a camera, you name it. As long as something changes, then juices start flowing again.
Yes, I’ve heard that one a fair bit. But for me I so easily get stuck in the rut of writer’s block it doesn’t tend to work. Of course, I’m also acutely aware it’s something I need to work on a lot as I grow as a writer.
I’m with you Matt, I write about where I am, including writer’s block if that’s what I’ve got. Sometimes I try ‘I don’t want to write about…’ if there’s a particular thing I’m ’supposed’ to be writing about and that gets rid of a whole lot of gunk
Oooh, I like the “I don’t want to write about…” idea. Definitely a method I’ll have to try Joanna.
There are three things I do to avoid/counter writer’s block.
First, I tend to have more than one project on the go at any one time, which helps me stay creative.
Second, I try and work across different formats, including audio and video, to try and shake things up and keep it interesting (for me and the audience!).
Third, if I really am struggling to write, I distance myself from my writing for a while, so I can then go back to it with a fresh perspective. This isn’t always possible, but it’s something I strongly advocate when it is.
Thanks for your comment, Iain.
I love your suggestions, and will try putting them into application for myself.
The variation of formats sounds interesting, that’s for sure.
Matt
For me, get out of my writing brain for 10 or 30nminutes. Think about something stupid, do something else, breathe.