We often get to hear writers complain of writers block and how it is slowing them down and hurting their productivity. Writers block is not imaginary; it is as real as any other psychological condition. Most writers have it at least once at some point in their life; so you are not alone. It may be caused by anxiety, fear, conflicted feelings or a change in the environment. Fortunately, it’s not permanent and there are ways to deal with it.
Here are 5 tips when you have writers block:
1. Jot down your ideas as they occur:
Writers block usually limits your ability to write meaningful sentences and paragraphs. When you are going through that phase, jot down your ideas in words and phrases as you think of them using your notebook, smart phone, tablet or computer. For example, instead of writing “The 1960s were a time of … blah…blah.. blah….”, you can write words and phrases like ‘Woodstock”, “hippie generation” and “Cold War”. You can later write full sentences connecting these words and phrases.
2. Mind Mapping:
When you are going through writers block, try mind mapping. This is where you think of one topic and write as many things that you can think of related to the one topic. It’s more of a mind dump. Often times, you’ve written enough to turn it into a blog post. Forget about grammar; forget about sequences; forget about getting it right. Just sit down and write whatever comes to your mind – words, phrases, sentences.
3. Don’t push yourself too hard:
One reason most writers have writers block is not because they cannot write, but because they set too high of a standard for themselves. When you want to achieve perfection every time, nothing less will do and this inhibits your ability to write. So, don’t push yourself too hard. Go easy on yourself sometimes.
4. Take a break from writing:
If you have been writing continuously for a long period of time, then there will eventually come a time when you will run out of ideas. When that happens, the best way to deal with it is to take a break. Give your mind a rest. Drop your pen, leave your computer at home and go on a vacation somewhere exciting, somewhere you haven’t been to before. By the time your vacation is over, you will find yourself rejuvenated and ready to write again.
5. Look at interesting people for inspiration:
Interesting people are a great source of inspiration for writers. If you are going through writers block, stop trying to write and go out and watch people as they go about their daily lives. Go to the park, malls, busy intersections of streets and other places where you may find interesting people. Observe them from a distance and strike up a conversation with those you find intriguing. Every individual has a story to tell and soon you will have an entire book.
What do you do when you have writers block?