Six steps to beating the dreadful occurrence we call writer’s block:
1. Panic.
To begin, allow yourself five minutes to panic. After all, you have no idea what to write about. Whether you have a deadline ticking in your ears like a time bomb, or a personal drive to create something worth reading – panic. But only for five minutes. Set a timer if you have to, but when those five minutes are up, take a deep breath, buckle down and get to writing. The worst part is over, you’ve got this!
2. Get outside.
Personally, I set up my hammock between two trees and veg out for a while. Eventually, my brain starts to calm down and become less cluttered, making it easier to let ideas flow freely.
3. Free-write.
At first, I thought this was stupid. A free write is essentially just writing down every thought that pops into your head. It took me a few tries to see the benefits of this, but free writes really do help. Even if you don’t write about anything interesting and end up deleting it after, sometimes it just feels better to at least have something on the page.
4. Ask yourself a few questions.
What’s going on in the world right now? What’s going on in your own life? What is relevant to you or others right now? Someone once told me that if I think something is worth writing about, chances are, there’s someone out there who thinks that it is worth reading about. What’s something you’ve always wondered? Find an answer and write about it.
5. Observe
Whether inside or outside, at a park or in a café, just observe your surroundings. Write down everything you see, hear, smell, etc. You’d be surprised at how much other people are able to inspire you to write about something without them even knowing it.
And if worse comes to worst….
6. Write about writer’s block.
Write about how you can’t come up with anything. Maybe even try writing an article about what to do when you are stuck with writing. Maybe even title it “Beating Writer’s Block”.
GOOD LUCK!