Writer’s block is one of those things that no writer can really ever avoid. It also often a frustrating and discouraging part of writing that can sometimes ruin the flow, fun, and enjoyment of the craft. Authors and beginner writers alike have experienced writer’s block at many points in their lives. However, there is some good news: There are many effective and helpful ways that you can overcome writer’s block.
1. Take a Break from Writing
This may seem counterintuitive and you’re probably thinking: But Zainah, to actually get writing, shouldn’t I… write?? And yeah, you’d be partly right about that. But writer’s block doesn’t really care about what should and shouldn’t happen; it’s just one of those things that really puts you in a bit of a difficult position.
Forcing yourself to write doesn’t actually make writer’s block go away. It could actually make your writer’s block much worse if you keep trying to make things happen. The best ideas come to you when you’re not actively trying to seek out ideas. So, don’t worry too much about forcing yourself to write.
Instead, go do something enjoyable and relaxing. Take a walk, listen to some music, watch a TV show, play some video games. Basically, do anything that brings you some joy and doesn’t involve you actually writing anything. Surprisingly enough, during one of these other activities, you might suddenly get a burst of inspiration. This has happened to me many times, so I can attest to this.
2. Change Your Environment Up a Bit
Here’s a pretty neat idea that you may not have considered: Sometimes, your writing burnout and writer’s block might be because you’re just bored of where you’re writing from.
Most writers I know tend to have a bit of a space where they enjoy writing. This is usually a desk, but it could be your couch, your car, or even your kitchen. It doesn’t matter where your space is, but a lot of writers like to have one designated spot.
The problem with this is that we’re humans and the same thing every single day of our lives becomes mundane and boring quite fast.
If you’re stuck with your writing, try going somewhere different to write. Maybe go to your local coffee shop and just sit and think about the day, the people around you, if your coffee was overpriced or not—just relax and start writing. You might find that the ideas are flowing better when you’re outside of your usual spot.
I often find myself on campus and it sometimes helps me overcome my writer’s block because I’ll just get random sparks of inspiration while I’m on the train or waiting for class to start.
3. Read Some Books
Sometimes, in order to write, you need to read. What I mean by this is that writers are the most effective when they’re also readers. A lot of books got some sort of formula to them that works and sometimes, different writers have different ways of tackling similar stories.
Maybe all you needed to jog that brain up was to get some inspiration from a book in the genre you’re writing in. That’s why I always say that a writer should also be a reader, because you can learn from those who are like you. Don’t shut out other books: Take what they bring to the table and learn from them.
4. Try out Freewriting!
Freewriting is a pretty neat technique that you can try any time you want. It basically encourages the flow of ideas without judgment or self-censorship. Basically, don’t write in a structured story or in your current WIP. Just write about anything random your mind can think of. This can literally be anything from a speck of dust on the ground to a new world you just randomly came up with.
I can give an anecdote of this, but when I was young, I hit some bad writer’s block. So, I decided to just freewrite a story about there being a well of ideas in my head and how that well had dried up for some reason. It was a small piece about writer’s block. And it helped jog my brain back into the writing action again.
5. Experiment With Writing Mediums
I will admit, I’m the type of writer that pretty much types everything out. I used to hand write a lot more, but technology swept me too. I think typing is my strong suit because it’s much faster and it’s easier to access. However, sometimes, you may find that you feel a bit fatigued from just typing stuff up all the time.
One thing you can try to do is to actually change what you’re writing on. For instance, if you write by typing everything in Google Docs, try to write out a chapter by hand. You might find that you just came up with some great ideas by simply writing somewhere else.
6. Try Out Creative Exercises
A lot of the time, our brain just needs a bit of powering up. It’s kinda like a pressure washer in that you need to start up the motor. Sometimes, the motor starts up fast. Other times, not so much.
Your brain is pretty similar to a motor, and it can get a bit tired of doing stuff in general. Creative exercises are some good ways to get that internal motor of yours working. Maybe you can try out a writing prompt or you can try to do something like word associations. Whatever your creative exercise might be, it’s going to help invigorate your imagination for sure.
7. Break Your Writing Into Smaller Tasks
Writer’s block can be exacerbated and fed more if you are overwhelmed and stressed about how much you need to write. It can seem like a really big deal to realize that you still need to write 80,000 words in your manuscript and you’ve only gotten 10,000 words. I write books over 100,000 words, so yeah, it can be a very daunting task often.
One of the ways you can get over the writer’s block is not to think about your manuscript in terms of its full length. Split the word count into smaller, manageable tasks. For instance, you want to write in intervals of 5,000 words. Your goal isn’t to write 100,000 words today, just write 5,000 words. That’s it. And by the time you’re done with writing 5,000 words, you’ll feel relaxed enough that you just have to write 5,000 words tomorrow.
Without realizing it, you’ll have gotten to 100,000 words! But you’ll feel upbeat each time you accomplish that smaller writing goal, and it’ll make the road to the full goal much more enjoyable and manageable. It’s a pretty good way to overcome writer’s block, and I do it all the time.
I recommend you use NaNoWriMo for tracking your word count, as you can set a goal for when you want to finish your book and how big it should be. NaNoWriMo then gives you a daily word count goal so you can meet your target. It’s a really neat and simple system.
8. Write a Random Scene in Your Book
Sometimes when you’re writing, you might feel like you actually need to write in chapter order. Maybe you think you can’t write in a bit of a disorganized fashion. I’m here to tell you that you need to break that thought down and actually consider the fact that you can write whatever scenes you want at any time. It may seem crazy to be that disorganized, but it’s not.
Sometimes, you’ll just be sitting there and suddenly, you’ve got an idea for this scene but it’s close to the end. But you can see the entire thing in your head! Okay, go and write it down on a new document and save that document for when you get to that scene. You’ll have gotten this itch out of your brain and you’ll be able to focus on the main plot again.
I do this all the time, which is why I recommend that if you’re going to do this, use a folder of some sorts to store these scenes. I can share a few techniques on writing organization soon!
9. Talk to Someone
A lot of the time, our brains just can’t think beyond a certain point. That’s why you should try and talk to a friend or family member about what’s going through your head and maybe give them a breakdown of where your story’s at. You might find that the other person can come up with some cool ideas to help your book flow too. I like to do this with my mom and sister, because my sister is also a writer and my mom has great ideas. Bouncing concepts and thoughts with them helps me to curate my own stories better and break through some of that writer’s block.
My book, Malware, was made possible because I was able to bounce ideas with other people and come up with compelling ways to make my plotline more innovative and interesting! You can check out my books over at Amazon!
10. Take Care of Yourself
Stress, burnout, and self-doubt are all things that we as humans experience and it’s perfectly fine. But, you do need to keep in mind that stress can limit your ability to process and output things. That’s why if you’re going into an exam stressed beyond belief, something as simple as writing your name down seems like an impossible task.
Practice some mindfulness techniques like deep breathing exercises or meditation. You also need to make sure that you’re getting in regular exercise, eating healthy and balanced meals, and getting enough sleep. Sleep is a huge thing, by the way. Getting the proper sleep at the right time means the difference between you falling asleep throughout the day and not (been there, done that).
Take care of your brain and it’ll generate the ideas like a river.
It may seem impossible to v overcome writer’s block, but really, it’s not. It’s just one of those things that you’ll face at some point in your writing life, and that’s perfectly fine. You can implement the techniques I discussed in this article, and doing many of them is probably going to be a big help. Don’t forget that writer’s block is something temporary and that it’ll pass. Make sure not to overwhelm yourself. I promise the ideas will flow and you’ll be back to writing in no time.
In the meantime, don’t forget to check out my book!