Writing Tips

Overcoming Writer’s Block

 

  • Read before you write: read that book you’re reading, and maybe that one verb, noun, adjective, or simile will get you out of that rut.
  • Write in a personal journal: many writers keep personal journals. Writing in one gets those creative juices flowing. Write about your writer’s block. Write about what bothers you. Write about what excites you. Write about something fun that happened to you in your life.
  • Look up words in the dictionary: if you see a word you don’t know, write it down (and others) as you read and come across them. Look up the list of words when you encounter writer’s block.
  • Write and copy words from your favorite author’s work: take a passage that really captivated you and write those very words. Sometimes writing others’ words gets you warmed up.
  • Write horribly: You’re probably saying, “What? Are you crazy? That’s what we’re trying to avoid doing.” Well, to answer that question, yes, I am a little crazy, but I also know what I am talking about. If you write something down like a character description or a setting description, and you know it’s off beat, keep writing. Oftentimes, getting a description (good or bad) to the page festers in a writer’s brain. The words you hate today will turn into the words you longed for tomorrow.
  • Switch projects: if you’re writing a story, and you hit a point where you don’t know where to go, stop and work on something else. Do you have a poem or another story to write or proofread? Do that! In my experience, writer’s block comes from working on one project for too long. Your brain is telling you it needs something else to do writing-wise.
  • Write that one scene: when writers start writing, sometimes they know how they want their story to end, the climax of the story, or an intense scene between two characters. Write that scene! Who cares if you haven’t written anything pertaining to the story or if you’ve only written the beginning? Sometimes it helps to write out of order. You can always fix that later. Also, it builds writing momentum.