To be completely frank, this article took me a long time to write. I found my head swirling with ideas, but I could not put my thoughts into words. I deleted everything I tried to write because it never felt good enough. I stared and stared at my computer screen believing that the moment of clarity would come, an undeniably perfect idea would make itself known. Yet, unfortunately, that feeling never came. I no longer could sit at my desk and wait for the lightbulb moment.
Here are some of the things that I did to overcome my writer’s block, and hopefully they’ll inspire you when you hit that wall.
Change the environment
A change in environment was absolutely necessary. I spend hours upon hours at my desk or in the library, and these places are great for when I am studying. They always keep me focused and organized, but that doesn’t leave a lot of space for more creative tasks. So instead of my normal study spots I chose to switch it up and sit down in a public area. This new place was filled with new stimuli, from people conversing to those trying their best to figure out their organic chemistry problems. My brain began to loosen up as I watched the people and things around me.
free write
And as my brain loosened up, I wrote down anything and everything that came to mind. Most of what was written were incomplete thoughts or random observations. I even found myself writing about what I may eat for dinner that night. I knew that none of these thoughts would be my great idea, but at least I was articulating my thoughts. I was finding words for what I was thinking and expressing those words, even if they didn’t make much sense to anyone but me.
write what you know
After writing my random thoughts, I began to get more intentional with my writing. I wrote about the things that were important to me at the moment. I wrote about the weather and how it has been impacting my mood. I wrote about midterms and the stress that will soon be coming from the cramming. I wrote about the excitement of the upcoming spring break and the much needed relaxation. I wrote about how fuddled my brain was feeling and the looming homework I would have to do that night. I wrote not to make something good enough, but to express the things which I wanted to.
take a step back
After I was satisfied with what I had, I walked away. I finished my homework and went to bed, letting those ideas and those words fester right where I had left them. I let go of the swirling mess of ideas and instead turned my attention to the other things I needed to get done.
Then I came back to those words a few days later with fresh eyes and a clear head. Some of what I wrote made no sense, but others gave me ideas. These ideas were finally able to transform into words and the words finally made it to paper, this paper to be exact.
Writer’s block is an incredibly frustrating wall, but it’s important not to keep running headfirst into it. Be kind to yourself, try something new, take a break and have faith. The words will come back to you.