Does it not seem to be at an inconvenient point in the story that writer’s block decides to strike? It’s a real pain in the butt and it doesn’t help that when writer’s block occurs it can be difficult to deal with. Sometimes it starts at the very beginning of the process which makes getting started difficult or later into the story as you’re leading up to a particular section such as the crisis or climax. At some point or another we’ve felt the wrath and not to mention the frustration of dealing with writer’s block. So how do we deal with it?
As a result of fighting against writer’s block on multiple occasions I’ve learned a few tricks that can help cope with it which I want to share.
1 Keep writing
This might seem a bit contradictory since writer’s block stops the flow of thoughts, but I recommend is repeatedly write the last word that you wrote down. It’s like trying to start that old lawnmower that won’t start right away. The more you keep writing that last word, he more you pull on the ignition chord. Eventually ideas will start to flow and you can continue on.
2 Skip forward and fill in the blank
Sometimes you can have an idea of what your events are leading up to but there’s just that one section in-between that keeps driving you insane. By skipping ahead, you can temporarily push aside what’s bothering you. After writing a later scene it opens up some questions that ask what happened to the characters that brought them to this particular event. Creating these questions makes it easier to return to the previous section as they cause the writer to think about the situation and what they can do to lead into the events of the later scene.
3 Take a break
If all else fails, take a break. When you’re working on something for a long span of time, things can start to get confusing. What might seem to be going good could actually make no sense which can cause some confusion when the time comes for revision or even in general. So read a book, go for a jog, or take a nap. This is helpful as it gives yourself time to think things over or just give you some time to clear your head for a fresh start.
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| Hopefully these tricks leave you feeling like this instead of: |
These are my top three things that I rely on when I get writer’s block. Hopefully this works for you as well. There are also other ways to deal with writer’s block so feel free to leave thoughts and suggestions in the comments below.
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You could brainstorm by writing random things on a sheet of paper for a few moments and see if the words you wrote bring any ideas.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good point as well. Random things on paper do tend to have interesting cause and effect reactions
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