Guest Post: How to Get Over Writer’s Block by Christine Kane
July 17, 2012 by Lillie
Tax Day, Wednesdays, long lines, bumper-to-bumper traffic are just a few things most people prefer not to deal with. Everyone has their own pet peeve and a less-than-thrilling activity that gets under their skin. For writers, go ahead and add writer’s block to that list. It’s that moment where you have hit a wall and your words seems to be sitting on your tongue and like a cranky child, those words refuse to listen. You know what you want to say but you can’t. It is the most frustrating and irritating feeling, so many thoughts and so few words. Before you face plant your keyboard, here are a few tricks to get around that pesky little block:
- Stop what you are doing. Immediately. Step away from the computer. Take a break; you may need just a five-minute break or a whole day’s worth. If you feel yourself getting frustrated and hitting that block, remember to just walk away.
- Work on a different task. Whether you have some house chores, work emails, or online shopping to attend to, do so. Getting your mind off of your current project will relieve that stress.
- Read something. Doesn’t matter what kind of writer you are, whether you write short stories or funny blogs, find something else to read. Read your favorite blogger or your favorite author. This can help trigger some ideas and thoughts.
- Get creative. Writing is an art form, whether or not your mom agrees with you. Use that block to channel your other creative juices. Paint, color, design—you never know what will inspire you!
- Take a shower. Literally. How many times have you had that perfect idea pop in your head during your bath time? Get squeaky clean and relax your body, which in return will relax your brain.
- Work out. Release those endorphins and shed a few pounds. Something as simple as a 30-minute walk can get your blood going and those positive feelings flowing.
The key to handling writer’s block is to take a deep breath, walk away, and relax. Forcing yourself to write will never bring good words together. Accept it. Writer’s block is a hazard of your occupation; it comes with the job title. Don’t beat yourself up over that little block; just give it a little time and voilà! You will be back to wordsmithing in no time. Good luck and happy writing!
Author Bio
This guest post is by Christine Kane from Internet Service Providers. She is a graduate of Communication and Journalism. She enjoys writing about a wide variety of subjects for different blogs. She can be reached via email at: Christi.Kane00 @ gmail.com.
You should keep one thing always in your mind till you will not show your passion in work then it will prove wastage of time for you. I have learnt one thing in life we should do only that work for which we are most passionate.
Sam,
I’m not sure how your comment relates to this post. Are you saying that if you are passionate about writing you won’t get writer’s block? I’m not sure that’s the case. Sometimes you just can’t get the words on the page. I’m sure in most professions there are frustrating moments even if you are passionate about what you are doing. So I agree that you should do what you’re passionate about, I don’t agree that it will always be perfect … if that’s what you’re saying. I’m not quite sure of your meaning.
As a writer, I think my worst nightmare and most feared nemesis is the cursed “Writer’s Block”! It can be so heartbreaking, when you start off with a bang; everything is going even better than expected and then BAM! The next thing you know you’re blank. You don’t know where to go from here. It happens with me and I find it highly annoying. It’s like after writing so amazingly well so far I hit that spot and in the rush to just complete my work by haphazardly tying up all the loose ends (mainly, out of frustration), I end up compromising on the quality of my content. And nothing can be more disappointing to your readers than an unsatisfactory end. I kept thinking this is just one problem I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life, even if it does affect the quality of my work to a certain extent. But I am actually surprised at the simplicity of the solutions you’ve given. This is just one amazing post! Thanks a lot.
James,
Christine has given some great tips here. The main thing is to get completely away from what you’re working on and get a fresh perspective.
With the online marketing world so content oriented focus I find myself needing to write more and more. I’m writing for 3-4 blogs but just switiching topics isn’t enough to cure my writers block. Working out is something that I’m trying to do more but I never thought of it as a way to cure writers block! thanks for the new idea!
Mark,
You left the .com off your URL so the link was not valid. I never approve a comment without checking out the URL. I discovered the problem and fixed it, but might want to be careful in future comments as WordPress will probably default to what you left the first time you commented.
Yes, Christine’s suggestion of a workout can kill two birds with one stone, as the cliche goes.
Whenever I am stress because of too much work I make sure that I take a break because I want to work with passion. Passion is a drive that turns work into play. Experiencing writers block is okay because that’s the time you will realize that you need to breath from what you’re doing.
Good point, Jane. We tend to think of writer’s block as a bad thing, but it can be a really good thing that motivates us to take a break and get a new perspective.
Good post – reminds me of something I heard at a training course several years ago related to how creativity and computers interact.
Apparently, the mere act of sitting down at a computer and firing up Word / PowerPoint is a creativity killer. Somebody actually did a study where they were able to “prove” this. So goal #1 should be to get away from the screen.
What they recommended, which I still do today, is that you try writing / drafting your ideas out by hand on a blank piece of 8.5×11 paper or – better yet – try talking through them at a whiteboard. I’ve found this to be an amazingly effective way of cutting through the roadblocks.
Mock “Teaching” the idea to an imaginary audience can also break through the clutter. Force yourself to talk – stream of consciousness – about the topic to an imaginary audience for 5 minutes. It’s amazing what you can figure out with this approach.
Final thought – try to “mock present” the most absurd thing you can think about the topic to an imaginary audience. Eg. if you are writing an article about getting visitors to your website, do a mock presentation on “top 10 ways to get people to avoid clicking on your website”.
Excellent advice, Jay. Writing by hand wouldn’t be of much help to me. I think much better at the keyboard than in front of a sheet of paper, but I’m sure that’s useful for many other people. The teaching/presentation idea is great.
All of these work but my favorite is working out. You literally clear your mind because you’re concentrating on your physical effort, which allows unusual ideas to rise to the surface. Plus, if you have a social gym, you never know what inspirations you’ll get from other people
Working out seems to be a popular way to break writer’s block, Leo.
May I add..meet up with friends and have a cup of coffee or tea, talk to them, and bond with them. It’s a great way to take off your mind from the writing task and will give you a happy feeling afterwards.
What a wonderful idea, Jane. Too often we get busy and neglect our friends, and this is a great way to continue to nurture relationships while overcoming writer’s block.
Each person has different way to rejuvenate himself. Some may feel fresh after going for a walk and some may feel great after sleeping for sometime, it depends on what works the best for a person. For me spending some quality time with my family and enjoying a good meal with them helps. That really relaxes me and makes me happy.
Great idea, Jack. Spending quality time with loved ones will not only help overcome writers block, but it will nurture those most important relationships.
Your first tip has really helped me out! I always had the tendency to try and fight the writer’s block, but I now realize it’s much better to take a step away and give my brain a breather! The best way for me to clear my mind is putting on a funny show. If I’m not at home, I will use my Dish Remote Access app, which connects my iPad to my home TV through the sling adapter, to load up a 30 Rock or something. By the time the show is over, I’m refreshed and ready to get back to work! Another tip that I’ve found helpful is to step out of my normal writing spot. I usually opt to write in my office at Dish but, if I feel writer’s block creeping up on me, I will venture to a local coffee shop. The new environment is invigorating. Thanks again! I love hearing how other writer’s find inspiration.
krista,
A change of scenery and activity can be very helpful.
I must say that this issue is normal for writers. And your tips are really helpful for everyone. And sometimes a day break is really important.
Mikaila,
Sometimes we want to keep pushing ourselves with no results when a break to clear our minds will make all the difference.
Even the most habituated writer who writes five to six articles everyday sometimes suffers from writers blog. It is not unheard of. Almost all the writers that I know have suffer from it some time in their life. But the key lies in admitting and trying to find solution for it. When such a thing happens, people should just take a break from whatever they are working on and just relax.
Terry,
It’s amazing how a break can change your perspective and get your creative juices flowing.
Hi Lillie, I am one of these people who get really stressed while working on projects. I cant stop working even if I know I need to take break because psychologically, I feel guilty. Like, if I take break, who will finish the work which needs to be done. Right? Then, I just wait until I run out of energy. In result, I usually stop in the end of the day but my body gets really tired. So, as you can guess, it is not healthy for me. I will try to follow your clever tricks though.
Ilayda,
It took me a long time to learn that I can actually accomplish more if I take breaks occasionally and don’t let myself get stressed out. Sometimes when I’m on a tight deadline, I forget what I know, but I always do a better job if I remember I’m not a perpetual motion machine.
Every person has their own coping mechanism on how they deal with their worries and stuffs. I, personally, get some walk and/talk with friends to relieve some stress. It is another way to gain ideas from them then go back when I’m ready. Mood also affects the way you do your stuffs. Sometimes eating or having some exercise relieves my stress and can do better works later on. Thanks for this post!
Thanks for the suggestions on coping with stress, Elaine. Good ideas.