10 Ways To Overcome Writer's Block

Writers block, you know what that is right? That thing that makes you stomp your feet, pull your hair out and bang your head against your computer at Starbucks. Wait, is it just me that does that? The point is, everyone gets writers block every once in a while. The thing about it is that your normal routine will not get you out of it. You need to wake your mind up with something new. Here are ten things to try next time you suffer this debilitating illness. Not all of them will work for everyone but give these a try because the whole point is that you need to get out of your comfort zone and look at things in a new way.

 

Go for a walk or run. This is great because it gets you outside and away from your computer. It is also good to get your blood running. Sitting all day pulls your blood away from your head. You need to stand up and move around in order to get the blood pumping again. Try going for a walk or run in a new place. You never know what will spark that new idea.

 

Write from a different character's point of view for a while. If your writing a story about a man who loves to fish with his dog, why not try it from the dog's point of view? You could always try it from the point of view of someone who is not in the story, like the guy who is fishing across the river. What does he think about your character? This is a great exercise because it forces you to look at your story and your characters differently.

 

Do a Character Analysis on your characters. Write your character's name at the top of a piece of paper. Then answer questions about them, where did they grow up? How do they feel about their parents? What was their adolescence like? Those are a few to get you started. Write at least two pages about the life of your character. You might learn a thing or two. I like to try to find a picture of what I think they look like and pin it to my wall. That way I see them every time I sit down to write.

 

Find a writing exercise on the Internet or do one of the daily ones I put up on my Facebook page. Writing exercise are great because once again, they get you out of your element. The greatest thing about writing exercises is that you don't want to do them. So when you do finally sit down to do one, you end up digging deeper than you would have normally. I know, you thought you were done with writing assignments long ago but sorry, you can't escape them. They're like death, taxes and dogs that go to the bathroom on your lawn.

 

Write in a different tense. This always helps me. If you are writing a story in first person, try writing it in third, or maybe second? This often opens up a world to you that you did not see before. Warning, don't try this exercise if you already have schizophrenic tendencies.

 

Write to music. This will usually help with mood and tone. Make a different play list for each project you are working on. This really helps you stay motivated and focused. Sometimes it's just what you need to be able to stay in the emotion and tone your working with.

 

Write in a new genre. If you're having trouble coming up with your next great idea, try to write something completely different. If you're a Horror writer, why not try a children's book? If you're a children's book writer, why not try a Romance? This will get you out of your element and you might surprise yourself with how well rounded you can be. Just don't get them confused, no one wants to read a children's horror book with a little romance, or do they?

 

Make your story into a poem or song. Sometimes to move forward, you need to look back. It's good to look at what you have written in a new way. By condensing what you have into a song or poem, you will be forced to look at the essence of what you are trying to get across and not just all of your flowery words. You are in no way required to sing your new song in public. In fact, please don't.

 

Keep a file of inspiration. This can be a physical file or a computer file. It should be someplace where you can store anything you find inspiring. Whether it's an art piece or a simple advertisement. Maybe it's just a picture of your favorite kind of flower. Mine consists of authors who inspire me, pictures of people who I would like to be a future character, settings and my favorite costume ideas.

 

Read. Some people are against this, but I think it's crucial when working. Nothing opens your mind up like watching the masters at work. When I need inspiration I read a classic. I save Stephanie Meyers and Cassandra Clair for guiltless weekend reading.

 

Plow through it. If everything you write is terrible, then let it be terrible and keep going. Some days are just meant for shoveling crap around, and that is OK. You never know when you will find a gem among all the crap (this metaphor is getting weird). Often, in the morning I have to write a solid hour of garbage before the good stuff wakes up and finally joins me at the table. Don't be afraid of bad writing, it's why they invented a "delete" button. Some days I am grateful there is a "Command all" and a "Delete" button so close together.