Anyone who has ever written anything: novelists, bloggers, poets, journalists . . . we’ve all experienced writer’s block.
I’ve been kept up all night before with this irrepressible black beast, when I’ve seemingly run dry of ideas and the words on the paper/screen are nothing like they are in my head. But having combated it before, I have a few ideas on how to beat it.
The biggest and best tip of course is to give up, go away and do something completely different and return to the task a few hours later feeling totally refreshed and revitalised. But, what can be done if you’ve got a deadline to meet and taking a break is not an option?
Top tips
If you’re writing creatively, setting yourself little challenges can help lighten the mood and get you moving again. Why not try writing 500 words as quickly as possible by sticking a pair of Shakespeare’s characters in a room together ? Another good trick if you’re a creative writer is to record your stream of consciousness. Write down fluidly every single idea that pops into your head—the satisfaction of seeing how much I’ve written and how fast, both clears my head and gets me going again!
If you’re trying to write an article, read others around the topic you’re writing on: you may spot something that inspires you or an argument you really don’t agree with, which gets you all fired up and raring to go! If you’re having problems thinking of a story to pitch, look through the website/publication. If you were running something like it, what would you be assigning your writers to write for you?
If that doesn’t work, think totally outside the box and imagine the story behind a photo they have already published: the people in it, the person who made the clothes, took the photo, did the make-up. Try and live in their shoes, think what they were thinking and what they’d like to write about if the publication was their own personal blog.
Something else that works for me whatever I’m writing is to work on several different pieces at the same time; if I keep switching between them it takes me a lot longer to get bored or run out of ideas, as what I’m writing in my article usually sparks an idea for a short story!
And finally, the most important thing to remember is that it’s OK to get stuck sometimes! Everyone from J K Rowling to Christopher Marlowe suffered writer’s block at some time or another, and they managed to work past it otherwise you wouldn’t have ever heard of them! If they can do it then so can you!
Five top tips for shifting (or avoiding!) writer’s block on a deadline:
1. Make sure you’re writing in a place that works for you. If you get distracted easily, working in a messy environment is never going to help you keep focus; tidy up before you start! If you can’t work with noise; make sure the radio is turned off and everyone knows not to disturb you.
2. Plan ahead. If you’re writing an article or a story, if, before you even start, you have even just a simple (it doesn’t have to be overly detailed) plan of what points you’re going to cover and what direction it is going to take, you won’t get stuck and you will have greatly cut your chances of developing writer’s block!
3. If you’re writing in a busy place such as on a train or in the middle of your favourite coffee shop, watch the people around you and try to assemble what you think their lives are like. The simple task of imagining something that’s not to do with what you’re writing will clear your head, if not spark what you can write next!
4. Implement a points system. My mum used to do this with me when I was learning to read, and I’ve found it helps me meet a deadline brilliantly. Reward yourself with an edible treat, or put a coin in a jar (to take to the pub later) every time you complete a paragraph or hit a certain wordcount; you’ll be surprised what extra and immediate incentive does to banish writer’s block!
5. Say it out loud. Most of the time you know what you want to say, but it doesn’t come out the way you wanted to once you’ve put pen to paper or typed it up. Trying to explain what you mean to yourself, out loud, or even bouncing your ideas off another person to give you feedback will help you figure out what exactly has you stuck in the rut.