Writer’s block is a long time struggle that every single person faces, whether it’s a short story or an essay for school. Everyone has to face the horrors of writer’s block. As a writer, I always have the worst case of writer’s block. It may be because I’m lazy or have no motivation to write for days; however, throughout all the struggles of writer’s block, I use five ways to overcome it.
Music helps with feeling emotions and putting them into words.
Whenever I listen to music, the lyrics are a huge inspiration for my pieces of work. If I’m writing about something sad, I try to listen to sad music that will make me cry. Even though it makes me emotional (like crazy), I always can find words to put into my writing.
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Reading helps with describing a scenery and expands vocabulary.
Certain authors are just excellent scenery describers. Their descriptions of who, what, and where the characters are really inspire me to do the same in my novel. The words they use also help me expand my own vocabulary, replacing simpler words with words that leave people with sparks.
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Watching TV shows and movies gives a sense of fantasy or visual setting.
Seeing is believing. I love watching fantasy shows and movies to get me into the fantasy vibe. These shows help me compare what I read about supernatural creatures to what I watch. Old time novels depict vampires as vicious creatures that are out for blood, new fiction novels make vampires as sexy dark creatures that are just looking for love, and movies/tv shows make vampires sparkle in the sun or regret they ever became a vampire.
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Read some inspirational quotes.
A lot of times, I look up words and quotes that are inspiring and motivational to me. Not only can you brainstorm and free-write with them, you can also get yourself going and writing in that way. They’re not just words to look at. They’re words for you to take to heart and do great things with.
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Exploring and going out lets you see the beauty of nature for yourself.
When I go out with friends or take nature walks, all the things and people I see around you, the noises I hear around me, and whatever I smell all contribute to what I can use in novels. If I was writing about a character in a coffee shop, I would actually go sit in a coffee shop and jot down what I see, hear, and smell.
Try to use all of these to help you overcome your writer’s block. One thing is for sure though, don’t wallow in self-pity, procrastinate or make excuses. Just go out and write!