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Breaking Through Writer’s Block
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Getting writer’s block isn’t a sign of failure—it’s just another part of being human. Creativity ebbs and flows, so don’t stress about it. Instead, try not to stress about it. If you find yourself stuck on a project, take a break from it. Go for a walk. Read something else entirely—something that won’t remind you of your current problem or make you feel bad about what you can’t do now (I recommend fiction).When you come back with fresh eyes, focus on just one sentence at a time; sometimes doing even one thing well is enough motivation to keep going until it feels right again. And if these tips don’t work out? That’s okay too. It’s all part of creating, which means there will be moments when things don’t go as planned. That’s how we learn!
Write Anyway
There’s no escaping it: Writing is hard. Any day, you could stare at a blank screen and struggle to find something worthwhile to say. If you really have something worth saying, then it’s critical that you commit yourself and do whatever it takes to get it out of your head and onto paper. It’s better than being held back by writer’s block. If one tactic doesn’t work for you, try another — and keep trying until something sticks. You know what they say about how practice makes perfect? It’s not just a platitude; writing every day makes you a better writer.
Change The Way You Work
Finding a writer’s routine that works for you can help you beat writer’s block. It’s important to figure out what time of day you work best and then stick with it. Whether it’s first thing in the morning, afternoon, or evening, make sure you schedule your writing around these peak times. If possible, get outside for inspiration or sit near a window and look at plants, water fountains or people to help boost your creativity. In addition, leave yourself plenty of time to write without feeling rushed so that if one idea doesn’t work out well, you have another one waiting in line behind it, ready to go.
Consider taking notes on paper but also consider storing them digitally so you never lose an idea again! Keep a digital notepad on your phone wherever you are to capture thoughts quickly when they come to mind. Also, learn how to take notes effectively so that you easily recalled your ideas when needed. Write about projects you care about: This might sound obvious, but we often forget why we wanted to do something in the first place until we write about it!
Immerse Yourself In An Atmosphere of Creativity
You are your most creative when you’re surrounded by creativity. In order to overcome writer’s block, create an atmosphere of creativity where you work. If you have limited space at home or work, consider having a small space that is solely for creative pursuits. This doesn’t mean it has to be a large room with paints and brushes lying around—but it means that you need some area dedicated only for artistic creation so that you can immerse yourself in a creative environment more easily.
Focus On Your Environment:
When you surround yourself with disorganized, cluttered, and distracting items, it can be harder for you to focus on being creative. Clean up your desk and workspace. Get rid of anything you don’t use regularly (such as old newspapers) and organize everything else in a way that draws your attention toward your workspace.
Plan Out What You Want To Accomplish:
Before you work on something new, figure out exactly what you want to accomplish. Don’t just say I want to write or I want to paint. Figure out exactly what you want to do before diving into whatever project you’re working on next. Be specific about what you want to do. There’s no reason creating something should feel like a chore.
Get Some Sleep
If you’re having trouble getting started, it might be a lack of sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation can be just as detrimental to mental functioning as not getting enough sleep on a one-off basis. Instead of staying up late, try going to bed early or at least getting 7–8 hours of sleep every night. If it feels impossible, talk with your doctor about potential solutions. Your physician can recommend over-the-counter sleeping aids that are safe for regular use. Writing is hard work, so make sure you’re getting enough rest. Sleep when you’re tired and writing will come easier. You’ll also have more energy throughout the day to tackle other projects as well.
Everyone knows that sleep helps us focus, but most of us don’t get enough of it. You have a deadline; your alarm goes off too early and then you reach for your smartphone—it’s going to be a long day. To stave off exhaustion, try going to bed 15 minutes earlier than normal. A good night’s sleep will help you beat writer’s block by keeping you sharp on even your most draining days. We need all our cognitive abilities when we’re writing. You can’t do your best work if you’re tired.
It might sound simple, but setting aside time to go over what you’ve written (and slept on) can also be an effective way to get through writer’s block. If you find yourself blocked, read over what you’ve already written and tweak things as needed until they flow better. Don’t pressure yourself into finishing everything in one sitting; sometimes quality is more important than quantity. Forcing yourself to complete something subpar will solve nothing—in fact, it’ll just make matters worse. Letting go of expectations is easier said than done, though!
Build Writing Into Your Routine
If you struggle with writer’s block, one of your biggest tools is making writing part of your routine. Because it’s part of a daily schedule, you won’t let yourself get away with not having something to write. It also helps if you plan out what you want to do each day and stick with that schedule—so even when inspiration is lacking, productivity isn’t.
One thing I like about writers like Ernest Hemingway or Anne Lamott is they set aside specific hours for writing—and they stick with those hours even when they have something else planned (like writing letters). That way, there are no excuses for not having time because you already made time for it. Some people swear by writing first thing in the morning, so try setting aside an hour before work to make sure you can at least get started on your piece. In fact, some would argue getting started is all that matters—because once you start writing, everything else will fall into place. As Hemingway said:
“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”
Sometimes all it takes to overcome writer’s block is breaking down big goals into smaller pieces. So if you feel stuck and have been staring at a blank page for days trying to figure out how to begin your story/essay/blog post/etc., start small. One sentence.
Take Breaks
The most common cause of writer’s block is getting stuck on one particular idea, or part of an idea. If you feel you’re only getting half-way through a project before you have no more ideas, stop and take a break. Get up and walk around for a while. Get some fresh air. Once your mind has had time to rest, it will feel much more refreshed when you come back to work on your project. Taking a break also allows you to step back from whatever issue is causing your block and look at it with fresh eyes, which can help give birth to new ideas!
Another great way to overcome writer’s block is by working on something else entirely. Go do something fun, exciting or unusual that takes your mind off what you were working on previously. Then come back to it feeling invigorated and ready to go! You might find that as soon as you start again, all those blocked thoughts just fall into place.
Stepping back can also give you time to get feedback on your project. You might not hear criticism very well if you’re in a rut, but often other people can point out flaws in our thinking we don’t see because we’re too close to our own projects. Ask someone who knows nothing about your subject or how it’s supposed to turn out. They may tell you things about your writing style or structure that would never occur to you otherwise.
Remember not to share any draft that isn’t completely finished.
Remember Why You Started Writing in the First Place
When you’re stuck, it’s hard to remember why you started writing. Maybe your first few posts or chapters didn’t go as well as planned, or maybe life just got busy and you found yourself unable to stick with your goals. Whatever happened, try reminding yourself of what made you pick up a pen (or a keyboard). Perhaps it was because you had an interesting story to tell. Maybe it was because of something that inspired you personally. If nothing else works, try just picking up where you left off and see how far you get before your mind wanders again. You might surprise yourself.
Set Goals That Are Easily Reachable
Setting a goal that is easily attainable can help you take action towards your goal. If your goals are too far away, or unattainable, it may cause you to feel discouraged and give up on working towards your goals. To overcome writer’s block, set small goals for yourself, such as getting out of bed earlier in order to write for half an hour before work. Reach for something you can accomplish with ease so that you can build on your success and keep going. Reaching goals will motivate and inspire you to keep going. It is important that when setting these small achievable goals, they should pertain directly to whatever you are trying to accomplish in order for them to be effective.
When writing down these smaller goals, use positive language and state what you are going to do instead of what you will not do. This will help eliminate any negativity from creeping into your mindset about achieving your goal. Once you have created a list of easy achievable goals for yourself, create deadlines for each one. Having deadlines helps hold you accountable for reaching each goal and also keeps things realistic by helping avoid procrastination by giving you specific dates/times when each task needs to be completed by.
Start Writing
It might be difficult, but you’ve got to start writing. Anything. And if you can’t think of anything, write about why you’re struggling with that. Just get something on paper (or in digital). It’s OK if it makes little sense at first or flows like a ramble. Once you have some words down, edit them into something better later. But don’t stop until you feel you’ve gotten your thoughts out. The worst thing you can do is spend too much time sitting around thinking about what to say and never actually saying anything. Get those thoughts out so they can become actionable items for your brainstorming session.
The more often you force yourself to sit down and put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), the easier it will become over time and eventually it will become second nature. You’ll look forward to getting back into your project when other tasks try distracting you from working on your next big idea. So start writing, even if it’s something as simple as:
I’m not sure what to write about.
or
I don’t know where to start.
Just get something out there. And once you do, pat yourself on the back for a job well done!
For some, writer’s block happens so often they feel like it’s an inevitable part of the writing process. For others, they’re surprised by it time and time again when they’re doing something as simple as journaling or planning out an email to a friend. If you struggle with this common writing challenge, use these tried-and-true ways to overcome writer’s block and get back to writing.
-R.E.