How To Cure Writer’s Block

*Collaborative post (Image source)

The blank page is one of the things that a writer fears the most. Often, a writing session starts by sitting down and typing out the first line of your magnum opus, only to go ahead and delete it repeatedly. If you are a writer, and this sounds familiar; then you have had a case of writer’s block. 

 

It’s something that probably happens to most writers from time-to-time, and when it hits, it can fill you with loads of negative feelings. You may start to think that you are not a real writer. If you were, words would flow from you like a river. It can really affect your confidence; maybe all of those other things that you wrote were flukes, or that you have burnt through all of your greatest ideas. You might attribute it to a lack of intelligence on your own part; if you were somehow smarter, you would be able to articulate all of your ideas in the most poetic, and concise way. 

 

Well, you are none of these things. And, suffering from writer’s block makes you no less of a writer. If you are someone who loves to write; you are a writer. Writer’s block can be overcome, and if it’s something that you are going through right now, hold on in there, you will get over it. 

 

Take A Breather

 

If you have been staring at that blank document on your screen for a long time, your word count is not going to start to rise on its own magically. You are clearly overthinking things right now, and you need to reset your thoughts. Take a break from trying. Go and do something else. 

 

Usually, as a writer, you do not have permission to procrastinate. But, maybe this is an occasion when you are allowed to. Go and sort that sock drawer. Put all of your vinyl back into alphabetical and chronological order. Take your mind off your writing for a short while. Put your headphones on, get outside, and go for a good long walk. Listen to some music. Watch a film. Distract yourself until you are no longer thinking about what you are meant to be writing. 

 

Once your mind is cleared, return to your work. A clear mind can work wonders when it comes to resetting and starting again. 

 

Look For Inspiration In The Arts

 

Very often, you can find inspiration for a great starting off point in quotes or commonly used phrases. Why not look through some Shakespeare quotes to see what the bard had to say on the topic that you are talking about? He managed to cover most of life’s universal truths in his work, and there is still so much that is relevant to life now. 

 

You could even take your jumping-off point from a song lyric. Make sure you get the necessary legal permissions though if needed.

 

Write Something Different

 

Sometimes you need to sharpen your pencil on a different idea. If you want to get your creative juices, it can be useful to do a bit of a warm-up first. Set yourself a writing challenge to get your brain engaged. It may be a short story, poem, or flash fiction piece. You could look for a prompt from a social media writing group. There are many available, and having a short brief to work towards can help get the creative juices flowing. Just don’t forget to go back to your main project afterward!

 

Learn To Filter Out The Urge To Edit

 

One of the main reasons that you will suffer from writer’s block is the inner critic. If you have a voice inside your head that is always reading everything, immediately after you write it, chances are it’s tearing it apart. You are not there to review your work, you are there to create it. Of course, editing should be a part of what you do, however, you should not edit a draft until it is completed. 

 

Learning to write from your heart and rewrite using your brain takes time and practice. Nobody is perfect at doing it, and even the most established writers will fall for this problem occasionally. You need to be strict with yourself. Try and write quickly, and don’t worry about your spelling and grammar; you can correct these later. Often, when you eventually do hit your flow, stopping to look back on whatever you have just written will mean your great ideas will leave your mind faster than they came into them. Don’t let them get away.