Overcome Writer’s Block with 3 Easy Tricks
This guest post was written by writer and editor Kirsten McNeill at Worthy Writers Editing.
It’s common for every writer to feel writer’s block at least once in their careers. You’re a lucky one if you’ve never had to face this literary monster. The one that sucks ideas from your head, throwing them into the abyss. It creates a sense of doubt in your abilities, making you want to give up entirely.
How can you crush the writer’s block demon? What can you do to bring back your ideas? Here are my three best tips for getting back into the writing mood.
1. Just Write!
The words “just write” in themselves are not helpful. If you knew how to do that, you wouldn’t require assistance overcoming writer’s block.
In my experience, the best way to build up your momentum and motivation for any activity is to do the activity. Slow steps to start, then your inspiration will rush in. If you’re worried about bad writing, I understand. This mentality comes with the territory as a writer. But it’s okay to write poorly. This is not the editing stage. Get the words down first, then worry about fixing it later.
How do you get the words down?
Recap what you already wrote. You don’t need to read back the work, just go off of what you remember from your last writing session. Don’t remember? Write that, then expand on what distracted you from your story. This may sound counterproductive, but writing out what you remember can help you decide what happens next in the story.
It doesn’t even have to make sense at this point. The goal is to get you “in the zone” so that what you really want to include in the story resurfaces. So, just start writing and write randomly. Get a few sentences of “fluff” down to open up the real plot points by asking yourself what the next action could be.
2. Go for a Walk
Writers often have a designated workspace, typically indoors. We forget what it’s like breathing in the fresh morning dew or what the breeze feels like on our faces. Sometimes we work outside, but for this technique to battle writer’s block, taking your work with you is not an option.
Going for a walk, or even sitting by an open window if the weather is poor, with no goals but to relax can clear your mind and restart your creative thoughts. Now, I did say not to take your work with you, but I just meant don’t wheel your laptop in a wagon behind you on your stroll.
As you walk, pretend you’re with your main character, or another character you love. Get inside their head and think about what this experience will be like for them. Do they notice the flowers in the neighbor’s garden? How about the breed of the dog walking by? Do they listen to wind chimes or focus on honking horns? What is their experience?
Connecting with your characters in this way can help you come up with new scenes or just understand your character better. I suggest only doing this in the middle of your walk. At the beginning and end, take the time to focus on the stillness, the peacefulness of your stroll. Allow yourself to have a break. Often times, when we’re doing nothing at all is when we have our best ideas.
3. Read a Book
This technique may just be the simplest one of them all. When I was working on a draft for a thriller novel, I struggled to get back into it after some time away. Writer’s block had me by the tail. It wasn’t until I started reading more frequently that I gained ideas on how to continue.
While I was reading, my goal wasn’t to come up with story ideas, they just popped into my head! The particular book I was reading when these revelations came to me was On Writing by Stephen King. This part memoir, part writing craft book inspired me in a way I don’t know how to explain. I will recommend this book until the day I die!
It doesn’t always have to be a craft book to inspire you. Story ideas and motivation to write can come from any book. It could be a cookbook if that’s what you like. Maybe your character is a chef and this counts as research.
Reading is such a key part of being a writer. It can ignite your love for the craft, help you learn new skills, and teach you how to write different genres. There’s an endless list of things reading can teach you. I encourage you to read as often as you can because you never know when your next story idea will strike!
Ready to Overcome Writer’s Block?
Now that you know my best tips for tackling the writer’s block monster, hopefully you feel more confident in getting back to your story. Good luck and happy writing!