5 WAYS I OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK

by Angela Dawne

The computer screen mocked me. The plain white document sneered at me, daring me to write something. Hands shaking, I slowly touched the keyboard. 

And.

Just.

Froze.

My mind blanked out, and I had no idea what to write about. 

Have you ever been in a situation like this? Wanting to finish a project but unable to craft the words needed? 

Have you ever been faced with a

looming deadline, and totally freaking out because you had no idea what to write?

I want to share a couple tricks that help me overcome that arch nemesis known as Writer’s Block. Hopefully, one of the following five points will be just the thing to get your creative juices flowing, and allow you to sit down to a blank document with confidence.

1. Blare the Music

I’m not a huge music fan. But I recently discovered the power of music. It can really spark the imagination.

One of the things I’ve done for a recent novella is put together a music playlist on Spotify for it. Every time I hear a song that makes me think of my project, I add it.

When I sit down to write my novella, I turn up the music and listen as I write. Sometimes, when I have writer’s block, I’ll just sit still for a few minutes with my eyes closed and listen to it. 

It fires up my imagination, and before long, my mind is bursting with new possibilities and scenarios. I definitely recommend taking the time to put together a playlist for your WIP.

​

2. Force the Words

I’m a perfectionist. Every little sentence I write, I criticize and second guess. It used to take me forever to simply move from one chapter to the next, because I would agonize over every little detail.

But then I realized something.

NEWS FLASH: My first draft won’t be perfect.

This changed my perspective.

Instead of slowly going over each sentence, I’ve started simply writing without stopping or looking back. It’s very tempting to go back over one’s work, but I trained myself not to look back. 

Every few sentences, I scroll down some, so that all that’s on the screen, is a sentence, followed by a long blank doc. When I have to pause for whatever reason, this helps me to not be able to see what I’ve written previously.

​

Sometimes, I even have different documents for different sections, so I can’t check my previous section.

3. Surf the Pictures

I’m a very visual person, not auditory at all. So sometimes the whole music thing doesn’t quite work for me. However, I have found that watching music videos that apply to my current WIP is really helpful. 

My brain automatically is able to translate the visuals into words.

Another thing that helps me get re-inspired to write, is looking at pictures. My current novella is a Christmas story, and it can be kind of hard to get inspiration by looking outside at the hot summer day. 

​

So I look at Christmas pictures. Trees, lights, cookies, hot chocolate- anything to set the mood. I’ve also learned about this amazing thing known to writers as “Face Claims”.

Basically, a face claim is a picture of someone (usually found on Google) who looks a lot like one of your characters. I have face claims for all my characters in a little folder that I keep handy.

When I start to get bored or slowly find myself drifting away from my character, I can look at the face claims and get re-inspired to write their story.

[Disclaimer: Most faceclaims are found online and are copyrighted. Therefore, they can only be for personal use and can not be used elsewhere with express permission.]

4. Ramble

When I’m stuck with my writing, and feel like it’s awful and not worth working on, there’s always one thing that, without fail, will rekindle my excitement about it. It doesn’t matter if my work is actually trash, or if I’m simply sleep deprived, this one thing will never fail to arouse my excitement again.

I text my friend.

Ideally, I’d prefer to ramble to someone who is physically sitting next to me, but texting my best friend (who, incidentally, is also a writer) is the next best thing. 

Find a friend or family member who has enthusiasm to spare, and keep them in mind. When you get discouraged about your writing, text them! 

Or find a friend who lives close by, and run over to their house! Ramble a bit, and before you know it- you’ll be bursting with inspiration

​

5. Read

Are you writing a fantasy? Crafting a mystery? Thinking up dreadful backstories for your character? That’s great!

But wait!

Suddenly, as you’re writing, you turn the corner and find yourself face to face with Writer’s Block. 

You try all the above, but nothing works. Now what? Just give up?

No! 

You should never give up, and this brings us to the last trick.

Read.

Many times, reading is what inspired us to write in the first place. So go back to the source. 

Writing a mystery? Go grab your favorite mystery book. Fantasy? Prepare to be swept away by dragons. 

Let yourself just chill and relax as you read some great books in your genre. 

And wait.

Before long, you’ll be swept back into the whirlwind of writing, as your subconsciousness remembers that you really do like writing.

Now. Go defeat Writer’s Block!