You have everything ready, a drink, a snack, the topic, and even reference material. You sit down ready to start writing, and it happens. You are stuck, your mind is blank and you have no clue how to fill the pages in front of you. It is a writer’s worse nightmare come true.
You have writer's block.
First you need to figure out why. There are a multitude of things that could be causing it. Stress is one of the biggest factors that causes writer's block. Whether it is stress caused by personal matters, deadline dates, or simply fearing your work won’t be good enough, stress can block the words from flowing as easily as they should. A lack of sleep is another common cause - when working to a strict time deadline it is hard to believe that stopping to sleep can be a good idea, but sleep deprivation prevents your mind from functioning at its full potential. Getting a good night’s sleep is imperative to having a clear mind and being able to focus.
It could be the project itself that is causing the writer's block. A topic you are not interested in can easily turn your normally resourceful mind into jelly. The research on that topic turns into a grueling task. Trying to put the words on paper so that they make sense and will peak someone’s interest seems impossible. If a topic has personal meaning to you it can be hard to write objectively about it. Writing because you have to, not because you want to makes it hard to concentrate and focus. A simple informative topic can easily become a personal rant session.
Thankfully, writers block is not permanent. Identifying the underlying cause is the hard part.
Ways To Overcome Writer's Block
Relax.
The world is not going to end if an article isn’t as perfect as you feel it should be. Just because you don’t think it is perfect doesn’t mean someone else won’t. Go and read some of your previous writings, or perhaps something from one of your favourite authors. Even if what you read has nothing to do with your current topic, it can be inspirational to you. Don’t burn yourself out on a topic. If you are writing articles try to split up the writing process. Research and brainstorm one day and write the next. This will give you time to think about your topic and figure out the angle you want to write.
Talk your way through it. Call a friend or colleague and chat. Tell them the topic you are working on and get their opinions or ideas. They may be able to offer a fresh insight.
Make yourself a schedule and stick to it. If your schedule says 500 words by noon, write your 500 words and stop. Even if you don’t have a project going, by writing daily you will stick to your schedule and keeps your imagination going. If you write from home, which most freelance writers do, make a quiet time and treat it like a real job. If you have young children at home, write while they nap. Let your answering machine be your secretary - if it is important they will leave a message.
Make yourself a schedule and stick to it. If your schedule says 500 words by noon, write your 500 words and stop. Even if you don’t have a project going, by writing daily you will stick to your schedule and keeps your imagination going. If you write from home, which most freelance writers do, make a quiet time and treat it like a real job. If you have young children at home, write while they nap. Let your answering machine be your secretary - if it is important they will leave a message.
Work on multiple projects at one time if you can. Bouncing back and forth between a few topics can keep your mind hopping and will keep boredom at bay. Take a break from you current project and write about something that motivates you. Chances are once you get those creative juices flowing they will continue into your next project.
Take a nap. Some writers find that taking a nap can break their writer's block - the time spent napping recharges their brains and refreshes them enough to get back to writing. Other writers, however, would consider a nap a waste of time and would rather hop on to a different project while they are waiting for their creativity to get going again.
Take a nap. Some writers find that taking a nap can break their writer's block - the time spent napping recharges their brains and refreshes them enough to get back to writing. Other writers, however, would consider a nap a waste of time and would rather hop on to a different project while they are waiting for their creativity to get going again.
Take a break from thinking: walk the dog, sit in the park, do a bit of gardening, even doing the washing up can break a writers block (several times I have found inspiration starring out of the kitchen window up to my elbows in soap suds!)
Figure out what works for you after a series of trial and error so that the next time writer's block strikes you know what to do to get yourself back on track. GOOD LUCK!
Most importantly
REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED WRITING IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Even the best of the best have suffered from writers block at one time or another.
REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED WRITING IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Even the best of the best have suffered from writers block at one time or another.
Figure out what works for you after a series of trial and error so that the next time writer's block strikes you know what to do to get yourself back on track. GOOD LUCK!
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