Do not sit around and wait for your writer's block to go away. There are many different methods to defeat one's writer's block (like changing the time of day you write or rerouting what you're writing). This post is a list of methods for you to try against your Block. Some may work for you, or maybe a certain combination of things will. Every writer's block is unique. Every writer faces writer's block. How it feels and how to fight it off is unique to each writer and can even be unique to each Block a writer faces. Don't just sit around and wait for your block to go away, instead try these methods until you find one or a combination of a few that work for you. YOUR TIMING. The time of day you write may affect you, and you haven't even noticed. Start paying attention to when you really feel an urge to write, and you'll likely notice its around the same time of the day. Update your writing schedule to accommodate these feelings, instead of writing when you don't have an urge to and get Blocked. When I was first writing, I was certain that I'd like to write towards the end of the day as I am generally a night owl, but I have found that I write best a couple hours after waking up.
YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Do you write better in a social/noisy setting or are you better off writing undisturbed? Try writing in different locations and see what works for you. Write alone with a noisy background, like music, or write alone in complete silence. Go to a Panera or Starbucks and sit and write. Go to a park and write. HOW YOU WRITE. While you're eventually going to have to type your work out in order to design and format it, your first draft can be handwritten. If you usually type but find you're having a hard time with the Block, try writing, and vice versa. Do not look at hand writing your draft as a hindrance because when your transfer it to your computer, it will also serve as a time to make corrections and changes. WRITING OVERLOAD. Think of writing as a gauge. Starting the gauge is a little troublesome sometimes, while after you've been writing for a while its free flowing. But after you've written so much for so long, sometimes the Block comes in to tell you that you just can't write anymore. Here is the time to take a break from writing, but I recommend you continue working on your novel. There are many ways you can do this: edit, read what you've written, outline, research into character development, look into publishing, and more! Just make sure that your break is not to long, say more than a week, because you may lose your luster altogether. STARTING TO WRITE. As I noted before, starting to write is a little troublesome sometimes; you can't always just jump into writing because the Block is in your way. Reading a couple paragraphs you wrote prior before you write is one way to lead yourself into writing. Another way is to read your outline. Another way is to stop writing chronologically. If you have a sudden urge to write a future event in your book, write it! I have also heard that you should never end your writing with a complete sentence. Instead, make sure the last thing you write is an incomplete thought, this way, when you come back to write, you have something to begin your writing process. REROUTING. You may feel that the Block is being caused by this next scene you have to write. You just dread putting down those words, or you just feel you can't find the right words. There is no rule that says "you, writer, must write in chronological order." If you ever feel the urge to write another scene, write it! Skip troublesome chapters or scenes and come back to them when you get your writing flow back. DIFFERENT PROJECT. Sometimes rerouting has to go beyond the project you're working on. In order to keep your writing brain active, but to lose the Block on your main project, it can be a good idea to just work on another writing piece. When you come back to your work, you may find new ideas floating around and feel refreshed. It could also be that taking a break from your main project caused you to miss it, and this alone can destroy a Block! Like taking a break, I wouldn't recommend doing this for more than a week. POWERING THROUGH. Sometimes, you've tried everything to get rid of your Block, and it just doesn't work. The important thing to remember is that the Block just simply can't last forever. Therefore, the best thing to do at this point is just power through and write down whatever you can with the Block. If you feel your writing is bad while you write with the Block, that's no big deal! That's what editing is for. The important part is to get words down on the paper until the Block is defeated and your productivity can rise again. Just keep powering through it, writing every scene, until the Block melts away. Beat that Block up! Happy writing! :) An important note (added 9/12/19): Some people will tell you something along the lines of "writer's block is not a thing." They're aren't saying this to hurt you, and, to some degree, they are correct. A complete writer's BLOCK is never possible. You can always force yourself to sit down and do something related to writing. You'll find, with experience, that writer's block is moreso a "writer's heavy chain". It weighs you down, bringing down the amount of productivity you achieve during the allotted time for writing. Whatever your writer's block feels like, these methods of fighting it off still apply!
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More InfoErin blogs because she wants to help other young adult writers and new writers. It's aimed to educate others on the writing and self-publishing process. If there is anything you'd like to know that she hasn't covered yet, please contact her! |