13 Ways To Overcome A Writer’s Block

Have you ever experienced that? You thought of a fantastic topic for an article, you picked up a catchy title, and perhaps even wrote the first sentence. And then… nulla… Your head seems to be empty and you mind is blocked. Messy thoughts are flying in disorder. I will open you a little secret: you are not the only one.

I must confess that when I started blogging it took me two or sometimes even three days to write a single post. I was writing and then correcting and rewriting and editing again. I was so exhausted and overwhelmed with the process that at some point I almost decided to quit. Since then I improved my writing skills a lot. Now it usually takes me around two or three hours to write a new article for my blog. This allows me to publish more often which immediately results in increased traffic.

Below listed 13 little tricks which help me to overcome a writer’s block:

1) A change of scenery. Even the great Anais Nin was saying: “My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.” Very often when I sit in front of the computer with opened draft of new post I can’t squeeze out a word. Try to think about your article when you are not at your working desk. For example, I often “write” new posts when I am taking morning shower or cleaning my apartment, and then just rush to put all thoughts down on paper. One condition: the task you do should be simple and routine and shouldn’t distract you from “writing”.

2) Talk with imaginary listener. Imagine that somebody is standing in front of you and you are trying to explain your ideas to him. You can even do it loudly and let the others think that you are a little bit “cuckoo” as this technique really helps.

3) Record your ideas. Sometimes great words come in the most inappropriate moment and then when you try to recall them after you have lost them! Don’t allow it to happen. Write down your ideas as soon as you get them in your head. I usually use for that purpose my smartphone. Or you can always carry a little notepad and a pen with you.

4) Mindmap. This is an awesome tool if you have a topic, but don’t know how to develop it further. Put the main subject in the centre and then just brainstorm all relevant ideas.

5) Structure. When you have all ideas in hand you need to structure them: think what you will write first, then what comes out of it and what your conclusion will be about. I usually put just a couple of words to indicate each paragraph, just a brief idea of it.  Then I come back to each of them and develop my thoughts further.

6) Freewrite. Don’t force your brain with unnecessary detailing and forget about perfectionism: just put everything what comes in your head. Don’t pay attention to wording, grammar – you will have time to come back and correct everything later.

7)  Set the timing. Of course you can write one paragraph for one hour, if you have lots time of course. But, don’t you have other things to do instead of staring at your computer for half-hour to create one single sentence? Set the timing for yourself: say, for example, in 30 minutes I need to complete first three paragraphs, in one hour to write the whole post and in 2 hours to publish it after editing.

8) Take little breaks. Let your eyes and brain have some rest – don’t overload them. Have a glass of water, simply walk around the room or make little exercise for hands and eyes. Usually after these little intervals the brain starts to work faster.

9) Don’t distract. When writing write! Put your mobile on a silent mode, sign out of Skype and mail for not receiving annoying notifications and stop checking your recent Facebook updates every five minutes.  You will have time for it later on.

10) Motivate yourself. Treat yourself with little presents as a reward. For example, I usually have a cup of coffee when I finish my post and it really helps me to write it faster!

11) Think of yourself like an editor in chief of a big magazine. Will he or she wait for several days for a finished article just because you have a writing block?  Look at her face, I am sure you know the answer:

We often make  concessions to ourselves: oh, today is not my day for writing, I have a headache, a flue, I am tired or whatsoever. Stop treat yourself like a baby! Be more strict with yourself: the article must be on your table by 3 pm today. Boom. No excuses. I create editorial schedule for myself for one month ahead. I usually make it in Google calendar, it is a fantastic tool if you want to stay more organised. It sends me alerts on my email to make sure I didn’t forget about writing an article today.

12) Use the preview button. It really helps to see your article not like an author but like your reader who will be critical and judgemental. Sometimes, when I am stuck with particular sentence, it really helps me to find the right words!

13) What if you are writing not in your mother tongue language? It was a real issue for me as I was so scared that at some point I will receive some sort of comment like “Anna Nahman, your English is ridiculous”. Well, I haven’t received it yet so every day I become more and more confident about it. I try to think in English, however it is not always happening. Sometimes it is difficult for me to formulate the sentence in English, so I do it in Russian first and then translate it.

Were these tips helpful? What helps you to overcome a writer’s block?

Looking forward to hearing your comments!