Last Updated on: April 23rd, 2021
Many people suffer from writer’s block. Bloggers, freelancers, and even authors have hit this breaker, which prevents them from moving ahead!
The threat of the blinking cursor or the starkness of the blank page succeeds in scaring off even the most seasoned of writers. You’re no different. Often, the stress is enough to demotivate many, and they end up skipping altogether, waiting until “inspiration” will hit them.
That’s why it’s important to act immediately when inspiration hits you!
In this article, my guest today will discuss writer’s block and provide the 10 best ways for overcoming it.
I hope you try at least some of these tips the next time you are stuck when writing!
What is Writer’s Block?
Writer’s block is an actual condition that has plagued even the greatest and most famed writers (including F. Scott Fitzgerald and Peanuts’ cartoonist Charles Schulz). It happens when you lose your creativity and have the inability to produce new works.
It is usually caused by fear, timing, and perfectionism.
But it can be overcome!
However, the frustration faced by writers is enough to freeze anyone in their tracks and giving up seems an easier option. When you’ve run out of ideas, you’ll no doubt find it difficult to put pen on paper, unsure of how you wish to proceed.
What I usually felt was the need for perfectionism. Everything had to be just perfect on my first attempt, and it was foolish of me to think this way. I wasted so much time running things constantly in my head that I never got around to writing them on paper.
The 10 Best Solutions for Overcoming Writer’s Block
There are many things you can to get your creativity back.
There are also a ton of different things you can do to overcome writer’s block. But here are the best 10 (and proven) ways to overcome it.
1: Use Online Assistance
Here are 17 of the best websites to bring back your writing inspiration.
You can also get in touch with different writers in online communities and also collaborate with them on different projects.
There are also great self-publishing forums which you can go through to get some brilliant inspirations for your own stories.
Websites like The Story Starter help in stimulating introductory sentences to help you carry on after that and many writers find it to be quite helpful, as the introductory sentence is often the hardest to come up with.
2: Use Writing Tools
Other than websites, there are also many tools which are available to get you motivated again. Inspiration alone is nothing with a lack of motivation. Such tools and apps develop a daily writing habit which can help you reach your full potential.
There is also browser extensions like StayFocusd which can block distraction websites like Facebook and Reddit to better manage your time and, as the name indicates, stay focused on your tasks.
3: Use Freewriting (also called Stream-of-Consciousness Writing)
Freewriting is the most common method of tackling your writer’s block, but you have to stay determined and focused to stubbornly continue and rampage ahead. When you freewrite, you need to forget about the use of punctuations, grammar, order, organization, and other such implementations when it comes to writing.
You just have to let your mind run free and write whatever comes out of your fingers, whether it makes sense or not. The free flowing paragraphs you come up with are always great for preliminary writing exercises as they also help get rid of all the junk you have in your head. After that, you’re sure to come up with something creative.
This is one of the most innovative ways for drafting a blog post, too!
4: Brainstorm
Brainstorming involves writing a bunch of ideas down and then organizing them later.
You can brainstorm ideas that you have using bullet points and then elaborate them further. That way, you can write down all the ideas you have, even if they are just keywords and not proper sentences.
Once everything is written down, it’s easier to stretch it out and carry on working and writing.
READ: Stuck For A Topic To Write About? Brainstorm My Way! (And please ignore the bad graphics of the images there!)
5: Read
Reading is a surefire way to tackle writer’s block. Reading other people’s written works can provide you with inspiration and your own ideas.
An author’s work helps give a clear perspective on things and I also feel admiration that they had enough stamina to carry out the whole thing, and it makes me think that if they can do it, I can do it as well.
6: Write Fanfiction
What I do after I read a novel or watch a movie or anime is think how I could have done things differently, or my own personal opinions on the subject. And, if I’m particularly attached to a series, I also write fanfiction and come up with alternate endings and other scenarios.
Simply “borrowing” someone else’s characters and story settings allows me to better work on my writing and write what I wish could have or should have happened, and how it came to happen. This gets my creative juices flowing and I can easily continue to write my own content.
7: Write Before Sleeping
When I’m done with my day and have no lagging thoughts or any other such tension of impending tasks, I literally get bombarded with many thoughts running in my head, which prevent me from getting any sleep. Because I’m too lazy to write them all, I think about waiting until the next morning to write them all down. And, as expected, I either forget about them or they aren’t coming in as much detail as they were coming just before I went to sleep.
This is why it’s so important to act immediately when inspiration hits you!
The solution I came up with is writing down all my thoughts and ideas on my iPhone. You can even keep a notebook and a pen on your bedside table. I use my phone because I’m too lazy to turn on the light. I have found it to be more effective and of course, you shouldn’t give special attention to sentence structures, grammar, or spelling. You can just edit that later when you get to work in the morning.
8: Write Your Dreams
Not everyone remembers the dreams they have. But if you just got up, you can still grab remnants of it while it’s fading away. Use that time to jot down the dream you’ve had.
You can fill in all the blank spaces on your own by mere guessing or how you’d have personally desired the outcome. You’re still half-absorbed in your dreams as soon as you get up, so your imagination is also at an all-time high. Your subconscious ideas continue to work as well.
9: Listen to Music
Lyrics to music can also help you to come up with great ideas. Listening to music also helps release stress, helping you soothe your mind. Often, it’s the stress associated with a certain task which throttles your creative spirit and makes you unable to write.
Other than that, you can also use a line from any song lyric as an introductory sentence to a short story, or just something you enjoy writing. You can even create a song-fic, that is, associate a story with a song and create or borrow existing characters. Remember, this is all just to get you to start writing.
10: Go for a Walk
Walking is not only good for your physical well-being, but it helps you clear your head, too.
Walking allows your thoughts to stray and jump-starts your creativity. It also provides you with the time you need to sort out your thoughts and ideas in a coherent manner.
Try it, you’ll see!
Find YOUR Writer’s Block Solution!
The best way to tackle writer’s block is simply by finding any excuse to write. It doesn’t have to be related to your task. You just need to get your creative juices flowing.
But when you’re working on the same niche, you often run out of things you need to say because you have to continue writing the same things over and over again. After all, how many times and how many different ways can you approach the same topic?
I’ve always found it helpful to “warm up” by just continuing to write whatever is in my head and form it into a story. After that, I find it a lot easier to focus on the task at hand. As a fellow writer, I can just wish that these above-mentioned tricks can help you twist your words and create something productive out of them as well.
Have you encountered writer’s block before? How did you deal with it? How did you find your solution for overcoming it? Please share in the comments, and let’s all learn from each other!
Related reading: 20 Ways to Be a Master Writer and Improve Your Writing Skills
Kendall is an expert academic writer. She is always been interactive and creative in terms of guiding others about international educational programs as well as challenges they face over time. Apart from her job activities, she remains active on the Dissertation Club forum as an academic consultant. Students can also follow her on Google+.
And don’t forget that I’m a a freelance blogger, writer, and editor for hire. (And an author who can help you create an e-book to give away on your site, sell, and even turn into a print book… to help you earn passive income.)
Did You Know You Could Become a Freelance Editor?
Being a freelance editor, in my opinion, is even better than being a freelance writer. First of all, it pays more. Secondly, it is the best job I could ever ask for. I love editing, I love words, and I love helping others. Finally, I love reaping the many rewards (check out the many benefits of being a freelance editor).
If you are not currently working at your dream job and want to be a freelance editor, then sign up to get on the “interest list” for my upcoming course!
I am in the process of designing a course that will teach you EVERYTHING about being a work-from-home editor and entrepreneur.
This includes:
– how to get paid up-front… ALWAYS! (before you do any work)
– how to get testimonials
– how to market yourself
– where to find work
– how to leverage social media for your business (because, YES, you will be actually running a business if you are successful!)
– how to keep accurate records
– how to easily calculate your costs
– how to communicate with potential clients so they turn into ACTUAL clients
– how to organize your time (so you can complete all of the tasks involved in running your biz)
– how to deal with difficult clients
– which projects to accept
– when to raise your rates
– AND MORE! (INCLUDING BONUSES!)
Plus, I want to get to know you so that I can give you EXACTLY what you need to succeed!
So, DO you want to know more about how to become a freelance editor?
If so, SIGN UP HERE.
hello, great post. Best tips on writer’s blog. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Rohan.
I think you meant writer’s “block,” though, not “blog.” 😉
Hi Lorraine,
This is the actual term that aptly describes my current situation-I could write only 1 or 2 articles in one month. But it seems I have found the help now.
I will surely try ‘Brainstorming’ and ‘Going for walk’ method. And reading also seems to deserve an equal try from my side.
Thanks
Sherab Tenzin recently posted…Be a PRO from day one-tips from Pro-bloggers
Hi Sherab.
Wow, I’m sorry to hear that you suffer from writer’s block!
I’m glad I was able to help you with these tips.
When you go for a walk, bring a pen and a piece of paper. Fold it in half, then in half again. This will give you a total of eight sections (four on the front, and four on the back). Try to write down 8 ideas before you are finished your walk.
If you make this a fun challenge for yourself each time you go for a walk, you will soon have hundreds of ideas coming to you!
Another thing I can suggest to you is to look at your old blog posts and re-purpose your content. What this means is take a look at what you’ve published already, and see if there is anything you can ADD to that content. Then write a new post and link it to the one that inspired you.
This is something MANY pro bloggers do!
If you need further help or clarification, just let me know! I’m here for you. 🙂
Hi, Kendall and Lorriane.
Writer’s block is mostly my problem.
I opened word processing then hash off few sentences after that I sucked with sentence and deleted those. I tried to write again, but repeat the feeling and end up with blank page.
The problem is I was scare to write. I always thinking about misspelling and grammatical error. even I tried to double the article, I got lots of complaints related to the issues.
I focus on freewriting and tried to forget every of the concern, but it’s still there. The concern make me procrastinate and lack the deadline.
Anyway, what’s the best practice of freewriting and how to forget the concern while writing?
Kimsea Sok recently posted…How to Become The Expert Blogger Even if You’re A Freshman to Blogging
Kimsea, try this strategy when you’re freewriting: BLINDFOLD YOURSELF.
I mention this in my guest post on Problogger. Check it out at http://www.problogger.net/2-incredibly-innovative-ways-to-draft-a-spectacular-blog-post/
Try this and see if it helps.
If you can’t see what you’re writing, then you can’t be distracted with the concern about it!
Hey Lorraine,
We need to spend 15 minutes or more a day writing whatever comes off the top of our head. We must ignore punctuation. Just write freely. Allow it to be totally random. We might change subjects many times. We might mix fiction with journaling or vent frustrations. The process trains our brain to tap into the words inside our head and gives them a place to live on our computer screen or journal.
We should need to do this for a week and then return to our writing project. An alternative is to free write 15-20 minutes to get our thoughts out and then immediately return to writing our book or article. Some of my free-writing entries inspired new ideas for my books.
Paint pictures, write poetry, design images in Photoshop, make a scrapbook or collage, or if we’re masculine, build something in the garage. Work on another creative project for a few hours or days and then go back to writing. When I’m stuck, I paint paintings or work on my website or blog. Jumping to other projects really activates my creativity. The key is to keep exercising the creative part of our brain and eventually we’ll tap back into the flow of writing. Thanks for sharing your valuable information with us.
With best wishes,
Amar kumar
Amar, these are GREAT tips! I totally agree, too, about doing other activities to take your mind off of your writing. Doing painting and other creative things will definitely help a person get their juices flowing again!
Thanks so much for sharing your personal strategies!
That’s one thing I like about blogging… is being able to learn from and share with other bloggers.
It’s better for us when we can see what works for someone else, too, and then try to apply that strategy to our own lives.
I love that you mentioned “read” to aid with writer’s block. This almost always helps spark some new ideas and continue writing. Even just reading blogs with a TON of personality helps me out quite a bit. Thanks for sharing this post!
Eden Fried recently posted…Reflect on How Far You’ve Come, Not How Far You Have Left to Go
Eden, reading is one of the most important keys to being able to improve your writing, especially if you are reading things that are very well-written.
The only problem is how to tell if something is actually written well!
However, since we’re talking about overcoming writer’s block, what we’re after here is INSPIRATION. So reading ANYTHING should trigger SOME sort of ideas!
Thanks for adding your experience here!