We have all been there before, stressing about that five-page paper with a looming deadline and you have no clue where to start. It’s called writer’s block. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, we all experience this inability to get started. However, there are techniques that can help clear your mind and overcome this blockage. Put down your pencil or pen—or whatever method you use to write—and read these three helpful tips to overcome writer’s block. Each of these activities will help bring new ideas once you get your mind away from your paper and reset.
Tip one, take a break. Taking a break can free your mind of clutter. When you take a break, you have an opportunity to release some stress. The stress about writing is contributing to your writer’s block. Take a nap, watch some television, or even read. Once you have removed the project from your mind, relaxed, and collected your thoughts, you are able to take a fresh look at the writing task. When you can have this fresh look at your paper, new and productive ideas will happen easily.
Tip two, write bullet points for your paper. Write down brief statements of ideas you have that you’d like to include in the paper. When reviewing these bullet points, you can begin to see where you want to take your writing. Your topic will become more clear to you, and you can figure out what your thesis will be. Once you have clearly identified the central topic and thesis, you can decide what goes first, second, and last. Another thing about getting bullet points down is that it helps you feel like you got something accomplished. You’ve built some momentum which will motivate you to keep writing.
Tip three, talk through your paper with a friend. When you have an extra set eyes and ears, you can see your ideas in a different light. Sometimes just talking things out can help you realize how your ideas can come together. While talking to your friend, you can have your friend write out what you’re saying. Another option is to record the conversation, or even pause yourself as you’re thinking aloud and write about your ideas as they come into your mind.
Never let writer’s block get the best of you. We all experience difficulties writing when we don’t have the energy, the thoughts, or feel intimidated by the writing project. Just take a step back from the pen and paper and know that it’s just writer’s block, and that you have some tried and true strategies to help you overcome.
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