Overcoming Writer's Block

As writers, we can often find ourselves having a creative block. The words stop flowing and suddenly you're stuck staring at an empty screen. You begin to doubt your skills. You may even tell yourself it’s time to quit. Your intrusive thoughts tell you to scrap the whole thing! But that’s the last thing you should do.

Writer’s block can be frustrating and difficult to overcome it's one of the main things that can ruin our motivation. The good news is you can get past it. Sometimes it means taking a short break or diverting your attention to another point in your story. Here are a few tips you can try to beat your writer’s block.

1. Write scenes you don’t plan to use. Sometimes your expectations can be set too high. You repeatedly fail to write something that meets these expectations. You care too much about the stories or your characters. There is no room for mistakes and you’re just putting more pressure on yourself. You could be trying to speed through a chapter or scene instead of giving yourself time. So, take the load off and write a scene you wouldn’t keep in your story. Try some of these…

• A scene about a character’s backstory.

• A moment between two characters.

• A day in the life of your character.

2. Switch up your writing routine. Maybe you’re tired of going through the same old steps in your writing process. Being spontaneous can make the ideas flow. Break your tradition to break that writer's block. Used to writing on your laptop?

• Try writing by hand!

• Do you write in the morning? Well, today try writing at night.

• Instead of writing at your desk take a trip to the library or bookstore.

• Write a scene from a different point of view.

3. Take a break from writing and go back to your outline. You might not like this one. A lot of writers dislike outlining and some love it. Sometimes it helps to write down future ideas or look at your story in short sentences and bullet points. You may find yourself really into the details of a brewing idea. Next thing you know and you’re writing an entire scene you plan to use for later. Maybe it’s not in chronological order but it could be a major turning point for your characters or plot.

4. Workshop with other writers. I think we often underestimate how powerful the collective mind can be. There are times when all you need to do is bounce your thoughts off another person and you have a solution to your problem. Seeing your work in progress from another writer’s point of view can help shine a light on details you didn’t notice before. Don’t be afraid of critique it can be inspiring and helpful.

The next time you find yourself battling writer’s block takes a moment to step back, relax, and try a different approach. We are not perfect as writers. Mistakes will be made, ideas will be scrapped, and stories will go in another direction. Don’t let that blank screen taunt you.

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