Every writer knows the frustration of staring at a blank computer screen, stuck for words and unable to write a worthwhile sentence. You may have started your writing project bursting with ideas, things began well ,and you reach a point where all your words and ideas have dried up. So what should you do about it?Firstly, don’t panic. Writer’s block isn’t permanent.
You will come through the other side and write again. Here are a few ideas to get your through the hard times:
Work out why you’re blocked
What has been different about your life recently? The following things can impact on your mental and emotional well-being as well as your physical health:
- Feeling ill – from mild colds to more serious ailments
- Changes in diet
- Changes in exercise
- Changes in sleeping patterns
- Changes in your home or work life
- Worrying about known or unknown things
Change your location
Take a walk, do push ups, yoga, play with the dog or just stand out in the fresh air. A short walk will give you energy, improve blood circulation and help you to think more clearly. Reconnecting with the outside world can help you see things differently. Giving yourself some space from the project will take the pressure off and could stimulate some brilliant new insights that have you racing back to your keyboard.
Change what you are working on
Move on to another part of the story. If you’re struggling with the heart-felt love scene because images of the dramatic sword fight keep intruding, don’t fight it. You do not need to write your story chronologically. Start wherever you feel like starting and as you complete each section of the story, you can add it to the overall body of work.
Try Freewriting
Just start typing. Type whatever comes into your head. Sometimes the mere act of writing a sentence, even a sentence about what you had for lunch, is enough to get you over the mental speed bump.
Some writers take freewriting to the next level. They use it as a daily technique to clear their heads before starting the more complex writing work. They report that getting the grumbles out – the whiney problem sentences – helps them to access the more creative work that they crave.
Try a different kind of creative activity
If your creative well has dried up, try accessing your creativity in a different way. Famous writers may be known for their fiction and equally well known for other creative passions. Some of the creative activities associated with well-known writers include:
- Baking
- Dancing
- Drawing
- Dress design
- Embroidery
- Flower arranging
- Furniture upholstery
- Gardening
- Hair-braiding
- Instrumental music
- Knitting
- Leatherwork
- Painting
- Paper art – making journals, scrapbooking, paper quill art
- Pottery
- Singing
- Special effects make up
Do something mindless
Get your chores done. Everyday distractions can eat away at your concentration so trying to write when you have a task nagging at the back of your mind could be a waste of time. If you need to bring the washing in, phone the dentist or write a shopping list and you just can’t get it out of your head, do that first and then come back to your writing.
Talk to someone
Phone a friend. Isn’t it strange how you were able to paint a thrilling picture of your ideas over coffee with your mum but when you sat down at your computer, your head was suddenly empty? Reignite your passion for your creative work by telling the story aloud – either to a friend, the mirror or even your cat.
Read something unconnected with your writing
Read something. Sometimes reading a few pages of your favourite book will be enough to kick-start your creativity. Try reading something very different from the work you are writing – it may spark new ideas and get you moving in a different direction.
Make a long term commitment
If you have been struggling with writer’s block for a while, you may need to make a more significant change to how you balance your writing with the rest of your life. A complete change of scene could involve
- A deliberate break from writing – commit to not writing for a specific time
- Travel – either go on holiday or consider a writing retreat for a few days (or weeks)
- Sport – get active and make your activity a regular habit.
- Move house – a drastic choice, but you could think about moving the location where you do your writing. Change rooms, change desk, change laptop, change everything.
- Change genre – sometimes if we are stuck in one way of thinking, changing the type of writing you do will move things on. Switch from script writing to poetry; from romantic fiction to horror; from science fiction to technical non-fiction.
Being literally lost for words may feel like the end of the world when you are trying to produce your masterpiece. Remember that writer’s block is generally a temporary condition. It will go away so don’t let it get to you.
Struggling with writer’s block and willing to try writing in a different genre?
If you want to change things and try a different style of writing, why not consider an online, self-paced writing course? We offer lots of writing courses including:
- Biographical writing
- Children’s writing
- Copywriting
- Creative writing
- Dramatic writing
- Efficient writing
- Freelance writing
- Poetry
- Script writing
- Writing fiction
- Writing non fiction
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