How to Beat Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is something that all writers struggle with from time to time. It doesn’t matter whether you are experienced and published or are a new writer. The feeling of not knowing how to start or even complete a piece of writing is common and disconcerting. Writer’s block can be caused by many things such as fear of looming deadlines or feeling you need to be a perfectionist. Whatever the reasons, there are many things you can do to overcome it.

First of all you need to identify what it is you are blocked with. For instance, if you do not know how to start a short story or a novel, it is slightly different to feeling blocked halfway through a project and not knowing how to complete your work.

The first thing to do on both occasions is to take a break from what you are writing and attempt to clear your mind. Do not force yourself to write as this will often make things even worse. Do something practical like going for a walk, walking the dog, going for a swim, doing some gardening, or cooking a meal. It is often during these times that ideas will come to you, ideas that you would not have thought of, if you had stayed at your computer becoming more frustrated with your lack of productivity.

Another way you can beat writer’s block is by doing something for the sheer fun of it like meeting up with friends, with your focus on relaxing, this could also include listening to music. Again, this process has been known to restore your creativity and inspiration. It also has the added benefit of eliminating stress which can actually cause writer’s block.

Writer’s block can also strike when you are actually in the middle of writing that book or short story and you simply do not know what to write next. There are many ways to conquer this type of block.

If for example you are working on a book, you could try working on its outline. It could simply be that you have not planned it sufficiently and you are not sure what the novel is about or what you are trying to say. You could also do some more work on your major and minor characters, include more detail about their background and their relevance to the story. Sometimes it is the act of writing anything that acts as a trigger for ideas to flow, thus enabling you to resume writing with renewed interest.

Something else you could try is to write something you do not intend to show to anyone. Thus, you are eliminating any fear of rejection, another cause of writer’s block, and just seeing where your writing takes you. The aim here is to not think about anything but to just coax your creativity out, whilst feeling relaxed.

Finally you could also try writing something outside of your usual genre and simply brainstorm before you start writing.

These are a few simple steps you can take to keep you writing and should see you well on your way to completed works!