You’ve been there. Perhaps you had just woken up, coffee/tea in hand. You sit down in front of your computer, determined to write at least one thousand words. Everything is ready, just waiting for you to type. Your fingers outstretch and… nothing. Your mind is blank, the ideas gone.
It’s definitely a struggle, trying to overcome writer’s block. Every writer has suffered from it at least once. I went somewhat into this in an ancient post, Just Write. For me, it’s like hitting this cement wall which I can’t go around. No ideas, no plans, no plot–nothing. It can be super discouraging, so here are four practical ways to help get rid of writer’s block (that I’ve used myself)
Push Through
Yes, the first thing I always try is to just push through and write. While this one might seem useless to you, it really actually helps! What I like to do is write in one hundred word sprints, because a lot of my writer’s block is caused from being overwhelmed or confused by the big picture. This allows me to focus on the small moment that I’m writing, and usually from there I can extend the word count to hundreds or even thousands
Write a Different Story
If the small word sprints don’t help, I’ll then close the manuscript and switch to another one. This allows me to disconnect from the one I was having trouble with and focus on something new and exciting. The further away in genre and overall feel, the better! I like to switch between my fantasy and contemporary a lot if I’m struggling to write.
Go Outside
Sometimes your brain can just be exhausted and in need of a break. I like to grab my headphones and sit outside, blasting my happiest or most calming songs. I eventually start to relax and my brain gets to either just veg or work through some new ideas. Sometimes I just need a few minutes of this, or a whole hour. But whenever I feel rested, I go back to my writing with renewed vigor.
Plot Out a New Story
If ALL ELSE FAILS, I turn to this. Well… I use writer’s block as an excuse for this ;). Everyone loves to create new stories–that’s the most fun part about writing! No worries of plot holes or grammatical errors. No dialogue annoyances or messy action bits. Just letting your imagination run wild with new impossible ideas that you don’t even have to write. I have a TON of story ideas that I’ll never get around to publishing, but I still create them because it’s fun and relaxing.
So, I hope these four tips helped you! I know they’ve helped me time and again. Happy writing, folks!
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