Chances are, if you’re a writer, you’ve hit writer’s block at least once. Whether it’s a fanfiction, song, poem or novel, writer’s block doesn’t discriminate. It’s incredibly frustrating, of course, but it does go away eventually, I promise! Here are some tips that I’ve found help me overcome writer’s block (I say, writing this due to my own persistent writer’s block).
- Stop Writing
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Alright, here’s the deal: it’s entirely possible to beat a dead horse with your writing. If you’ve been working on the same project for days, weeks, even months or longer, it might be time to take a break from that project. Try writing something else, or try keeping up with another hobby for a day or two, however long it takes. Letting your writing sit for a while might give you a fresh perspective!
- Take a Nap
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Sometimes, writer’s block might stem from your own exhaustion, be it mental or physical. What better way to help both recover than to take a short nap? Even if you’re just sleeping on a particular idea to see if it’ll stick, sleep has been proven to improve creativity. Give it a try!
- Write Something Self-Indulgent
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Okay, it probably sounds like a bit of a challenge to write something while you have writer’s block, but hear me out on this one. Writing something for your eyes and your eyes only can be truly liberating; you don’t expect to post it or publish it, so you don’t expect feedback on it. Because of that, you can write the most predictable plot in the world, the most overpowered character, anything you want. And it’s just for you. Sometimes that power is just what you need.
- Write a Stream-of-Consciousness Passage
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It’s easy to get tripped up by your own mind while writing, so try this: set a timer for yourself, generally anywhere between five and 20 minutes, and just write whatever comes to mind. And by “whatever,” I mean everything. If you can, write every single word that comes into your head in that time. Don’t worry about formatting or grammar, just keep writing until time is up! Who knows? You might find that you came up with a winning idea!
- Find Writing Prompts
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Depending on where you go to find them, you could find scenario prompts, one-word prompts and dialogue prompts to work with. You don’t necessarily have to find one that fits what you want to write; simply find one that sounds fun and roll with it! Even though what results might not be exactly what you’re looking for, it can give you a good place to start.
- Write Practice Interactions
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This is kind of in the same vein as writing prompts. It might help to find a dialogue prompt and choose two or more of your characters to write using said dialogue in order to get a feel for how those characters would interact with the situation as well as each other. Especially if the dialogue is something the character wouldn’t normally say, it can make for a very interesting conversation!
- Develop, Develop, Develop
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One thing I do when I’m stuck is try to develop the world and characters more. There are plenty of questions online you can find to help this along, such as here (for worldbuilding) and here (for characters). The more you develop, the more specifics you know, which can help you find more plot points. If you’re looking for something extra fun, try taking a Buzzfeed quiz or Uquiz in the perspective of your character. How would they answer?
- Write Something Silly
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A lot of writers tend to get in their own way while writing because they aim to write the next great novel. That’s completely understandable, but I’ve found that it helps to write something, however short, that’s just completely silly. Don’t take it seriously and write something that will make you laugh! Sometimes not taking yourself seriously helps a lot and could help you come up with a scene or plot for your project.
- Self-Care
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Along with sleep, make sure you’re caught up on self-care. Have you taken a chance to eat? Shower? Have you had some time to yourself doing whatever you feel like? Even just watching some of your favorite shows can make you feel great, and that, in my opinion, does wonders for creativity. Not to mention, it’s good for your physical and mental health!
- It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect
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Even if you’re bent on writing your magnum opus, remember that this is just a draft. Chances are you’re going to go back to edit and revise, maybe multiple times. Depending on where you are in the process, you might even send it out to professional editors to look over. Whatever the case, your work in progress does not have to be perfect now. Unless, of course, you’re writing an essay an hour before it’s due. If you’re in that boat … well, good luck.
Hopefully you’ve found something that could help you out here. I wish you all the best in your writing endeavors, and don’t forget: you are your own worst critic. Let loose and let yourself write freely!