How to Break a Block? Just Start Babbling!

Camp NaNoWriMo starts in just a few days! April is just around the corner, and we’re preparing for our next writing adventure starting April 1st. Today, NaNoWriMo participant Chyina Powell shares tips to help avoid getting tripped up on the trail:

Camp NaNoWriMo is fast approaching… and you know what that means! Shake the dust out from between the keys of your keyboard and grab some writing snacks because it’s time to get to work!

As a creative person, there are times when you feel stuck. You aren’t sure what a character should do next or the story isn’t turning out the way you wrote it in your outline. Maybe you don’t know how to insert something crucial into your story without it seeming to come out of nowhere. Welcome to the Frustrated Writers Club. It’s normal, but I know these little moments can lead to doubt.

You might be saying to yourself, “Maybe I can’t do it, maybe I can’t be a writer.” You might think that being a writer means words flowing out of you the minute you head to your computer, but that isn’t always the case. Even the best writers have experienced writer’s block, whether it’s when they try to write something new or are in a tough spot of a first draft. Don’t fret, you’re in great company.

So, how do you get past that block?

I think the best way is to just start writing. It doesn’t even have to have anything to do with your current work. Just write, and if it’s complete and utter nonsense, great! Because you may be able to use that nonsense to build your world. It doesn’t have to be pretty, it doesn’t have to be eloquent, just be you. Think of something you enjoy writing about and write it. Free writing is just that, freeing. When you aren’t forcing yourself to fit a certain style, genre or even stick to a certain topic, you truly let your imagination run wild. And Campers, that’s a huge part of the NaNoWriMo spirit!

“It doesn’t have to be pretty, it doesn’t have to be eloquent, just be you.”

Another way to overcome that great evil is to get your mind off your project! That’s right, go for a walk, watch Netflix (just try not to get sucked into the swirling vortex that is binge-watching), read a book that has nothing to do with your own project, go out to eat. Whatever! Often, the best ideas come when you aren’t thinking about what to write next or where you want your story to go. And thank goodness for smartphones because you’ll always have somewhere to write down your ideas as they come.

Don’t worry that you won’t finish your project or get over this roadblock, you will! Campers, don’t give up when that block comes. Just take a break, breathe and remind yourself of how AWESOME you are, how important your story is, and do what you love. Write!

Happy writing!

After receiving her MLA from the University of Pennsylvania, Chyina Powell can usually be found reading or writing for her bookish blog at chyinapowell.wordpress.com. She is also an avid bookstagrammar and freelance writer. Feel free to connect with her @chyina_powell. She has been a participant in NaNoWriMo since 2014 and has loved every minute of it! Thanks to all the wonderful people who make this program possible.

Top photo by Mario Caruso on Unsplash.