How To Get Past Writer’s Block

Sometimes, it just feels like the words won’t flow. But it’s important to remember that writer’s block is something that will pass. Today, we have a few tips from Young Writers Program participant Cassidy Pry on how to make writer’s block pass more quickly:

It’s important to keep working on your project even after a hectic event like NaNoWriMo or Camp NaNoWriMo ends. You wouldn’t want a full month of hard work to end up in your “abandoned writing” folder! However, we know the real antagonist in your project all too well—that’s right. Writer’s block! Here are some tips on defeating writer’s block once and for all.

1. Relax.

Some days are just better than others when it comes to writing. You might not always be overflowing with ideas to put in your project. Instead of beating yourself up for not knowing what to write, take a break and give yourself a high-five for everything you’ve already written! Pretty soon, an excellent idea will spark and you’ll be back to writing like there’s no tomorrow!

2. Try a word sprint.

Did you know that NaNoWriMo has a “word sprint” feature? Yup. Also known as a “word war,” this feature allows you to set a word count goal and time yourself to see if you can beat the clock and meet your goal! You could write 100 words in 5 minutes to give yourself a boost and take it from there, or go for 600 words in a half-hour and call it a day. Even if whatever you write makes no sense at all, you’d be surprised by the ideas that might come from what you end up with. You can also follow @NaNoWordSprints on Twitter for round-the-clock word sprinting with other Wrimos during event months.

3. Look for writing prompts.

There are many places all over the internet where you can find writing prompts to help you get around writer’s block. In fact, you can tune into NaNoWriMo’s live Virtual Write-Ins that include writing prompts to help you out! So if you haven’t seen those yet, you can go to NaNoWriMo’s YouTube channel and watch them.

4. Think about real life.

What’s on your mind right now? What are some things that have happened to you or someone you know recently? Real life is an amazing source of inspiration for what to write in your stories. Reflect what’s going on in your own life in your stories and maybe you’ll come up with something awesome!

5. Read.

Has anyone ever told you that the more you read the better you write? It’s true. Reading helps you become a better writer and it can also give you inspiration for your own writing. If you’ve hit writer’s block, maybe reading something of the same genre or topic that you’re writing about will help you find ideas of what to put in your writing. 

6. Ask the Dare Machine.

Of all NaNoWriMo’s cool features, this one is probably my favorite. Did you know that this exclusive Young Writers Program feature will give you tons of ideas on what to write? Maybe your character finds something unexpected in between the couch cushions or a chapter in your book is told through the perspective of an animal. Your writing is your laboratory, experiment with ideas until the results are just right!

7. Have Fun!

Don’t act like writing is a dreaded chore. Having fun is part of what writing is all about! Of course, there will be struggles and obstacles and days when you feel like quitting. However, if you stick to it and let your creative juices flow, you will more than likely end up with something wonderful that you will love and cherish forever!

Cassidy Pry is a tech-savvy 13-year-old who loves writing and is also a professional actress. Her favorite things to write are poems and novels but she likes writing short stories as well. Aside from writing and acting, Cassidy enjoys arts and crafts, reading, magic, playing violin and piano, dancing, singing, taking photographs, learning languages,  traveling, watching YouTube, and hanging out with her friends.

Top photo licensed under Creative Commons by Shannon Kokoska on Flickr.