Whether you are a writer by passion or profession, you must have had to deal with a writer’s block at one point of time in your life. It is one of the most frustrating, debilitating and annoying feelings ever when you are staring at a page, unable to write a single word, unable to compile your thoughts or come up with something that you feel is worth reading. In times like these have you wondered how to get over writer’s block?
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The good news is, today we will be talking about how you can stop experiencing a writer’s block not once, but forever! If you have felt like all the creativity you thought you possessed has deserted you, and you would rather throw you work down the drain because you can’t seem to finish it for the life of you, have a little more patience, till we tell you exactly how to get over writer’s block once and for all.
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These are tried and tested methods which have not only helped me, but a gazillion other people attempting to finish their texts. Here are some tips which can help you get your creative juices flowing again.
1. Take notes before you start
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Before you start writing something, you must have ideas about it floating about inside your head, which you need to compile into comprehensive sentences. However, when you sit down to compile them, you forget about most of your ideas, and you don’t know how to bring them all together.
The best thing you can do in such circumstances is jot down your points and take notes as and when these ideas come to you, whether you are eating, or chilling or riding on the subway, carry a notepad with you where you can write down everything you think of and you can then refer to them later when you are sitting down to write.
2. Read a book
A lot of people avoid reading other things when they are working on something of their own, but reading a book when you are experiencing a writer’s block is like reaching out for help, and grabbing hold of a lifeline. The flow, plot and sentence structure of something that you read can help your own mind organize its own thoughts, which can then help you write your own piece easily.
3. Do not start writing on a blank page
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This tip is rather psychological. When you look at a blank page, your mind feels unconsciously intimidated to create something from scratch. Staring at a blank page for prolonged periods of time also makes you feel blank.
For people who aren’t very confident about writing, you need a guiding light of sorts to help you get into your flow. After the initial thrust, you will have no trouble taking over completely. This thrust can be in the form of aforementioned notes or other books that you might read, or whatever else you might draw inspiration from.
4. Change your environment
Oftentimes it so happens that the kind of environment you are in prevents you from thinking straight and coming up with new ideas. This is because you keep seeing the same things around you and feeling the same emotions, which reduces the possibility of new ideas and greater creativity.
This is perhaps why most of the great writer’s travelled to far of places and remote villages to write some of the best pieces produced in literature. I am not asking you to travel to Rome and become a John Keats, but you could try going somewhere else to see if your mind takes you to a more creative zone.
5. Do not follow a chronology
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Writers often suffer from writer’s block because they get obsessed with writing the book one chapter at a time, one after the other. If you are writing an essay, you might suffer from a writer’s block because you know the body of your essay, but you are unable to compile an adequate introduction.
Just like a film is made in parts which aren’t chronological, when you feel like writing a particular part of your work, do so even if it in the middle or end. Once you get into the flow of writing, you will have not trouble writing whatever missing links you were previously obsessing about.
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6. Try writing about your problem
One of the things that happen when you have writer’s block is that you are unable to write anything at all. This can be very demoralizing, and can lead to a lot of frustration. To get out of the mental rut that you are stuck in, try writing about the problem itself, in the simplest possible language.
Once you have expressed the problem, and written down in crude sentences what you want to write about and aren’t being able to, then pressure of producing perfect sentences is lifted of your shoulder, and you can slowly start compiling your actual work.
7. Don’t keep rechecking your work
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You may also have difficulty expressing your ideas one after another, when you keep editing your work while you are writing it. Always remember that there is going to be time to check and recheck your work later, but if you keep finding mistakes and errors in your work, then you might have trouble concentrating on what comes next, and you’ll only keep thinking about the mistakes that you have to correct.
8. Go through everything you have written before
I don’t mean literally read every single body of work that you have previously produced. You can however, go through some of the things that you have earned acclaim or appreciation for, and re-acquaint yourself with your style of writing.
This not only acts as an ego-boost for you, in case you have been worrying about not producing standard work, but also reminds you of your writing style and process, and can help you regain the confidence that you need to start writing like a pro again.
9. Go for a walk
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Going for a walk has been found to make your thought-process more expansive and improve your outlook on life, when you are feeling uninspired. When you go for a work, your body generates energy, which you can then channelize into your writing. This isn’t an unfounded claim, however, because this was proved by a research group from Stanford University, who came to the conclusion that going was a walk was one of the best ways of getting over writer’s block.
10. Make sure there are no distractions
If you want to know how to get over writer’s block, you should also know about some preventive measures, which could prevent you from experiencing a writer’s block in the first place. Even the smallest of distractions can lead to your losing your train of thought, which can be very frustrating when you are trying to creatively express yourself.
Before you start writing, switch off your phone and your internet and let the people around you know that you would like a few hours to yourself, without any kind of disturbance or distractions. This can help you think clearly, without constantly worrying about your environment and other potential distractions.
11. Read inspirational quotes
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As stupid as this might sound, getting motivation off the internet from various sources can be a great boost to your motivation and confidence, and you night find it easier to get over your writer’s block. These quotes can inspire you to think, express and write clearly, which will drag you out of the self-deprecating and demotivated mental rut that you seem to be stuck in when you are undergoing a writer’s block.
You can even have a collection of your favorite quotes which tend to inspire you on most occasions in your phone, or on Pinterest, or wherever else is convenient, to give yourself a mini pep-talk whenever it is required.
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12. Write stream of consciousness texts
Stream of consciousness is a technique where you simply write every single thing you are thinking of, just the way you are thinking it- without pause or punctuation. It might not make a lot of sense at first, but it didn’t turn into a major literary genre for no reason. You might not become another James Joyce, but you will certainly find your footing once you get into the flow of writing. From random thoughts, you could move to your ideas and aspirations about what you want to write about, and then you will find yourself writing proper, cohesive sentences.
Getting over writer’s block isn’t easy. Especially when you are undergoing one, it is immensely frustrating, and you might even find it difficult to do the exercises necessary to get over it. However, it is the not the end of your writing career, even though it might feel like one, and no matter how substandard your work sounds at the moment, your goal is to get yourself to write again. To do that, you can use the help of these tips that we have compiled for you, and let us know if they helped, in the comments section below!
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