Getting Over Writer's Block

Okay. So you want to write. You’re itching to write but for some reason you can’t. Your brain’s turning to mush and the words flowing down from your fingertips to a keyboard or pencil just seems like a big, fat jumble of crap. After a while of uselessly trying, you huff, smash your keyboard/throw down your pencil and start to flip tables. You begin to wonder if all your life’s work has been in vain. You throw your hands up in the air. “WHO WILL SAVE ME NOW?” You scream.

And then, I appear. With my hands on my hips, declaring, “I will save you!” I then rush you to a writer's hospital and the results come back after a thorough exam.

Now seated across from the doctor, with me by your side, he looks at you solemnly. “What you have is a common disease known as writer’s block.” He says. And then his face brightens. “But not to worry, there are cures.”

And there you have it guys, a weird intro written by a weird person. In this chapter, I have compiled a list of ways to get over writer’s block because, after all, the first step to good writing is to write.

1) Take a break. Yep, I said it. Just stop writing for a while. Let your creative writing juices refill themselves. Maybe draw pictures, or design posters on Gimp/Photoshop, or read. Always read whenever you can. I guarantee that you’ll always find new things to learn from a seasoned author, and who knows, maybe that’ll help you get over your writer’s block.

2) Free-writing. This is a good way to get your creative juices flowing again. Take about ten to fifteen minutes writing out whatever comes to mind. And don’t stop. Don’t worry about punctuation or spelling or anything. Write nonstop and when you can’t think of anything to write, write that you can’t think of anything to write over and over again until you can think of something. Doing this before you write is also advisable. From my personal experience, I’ve found that the words flow out more easily than before; it becomes easier to get the words out on the paper.

3) Start somewhere else. What I mean by this is if you’re writing a fanfiction, instead of going from beginning to middle to end, start from the end. Or the middle. Whatever floats your boat. Occasionally, writer’s block is caused from wanting your writing to be too perfect, and by writing from a different section in your story, you’ll worry less about perfection. Why? Because we all know that you always want things to be perfect from the get-go.

4) Change your writing environment. Writer’s block can be caused by many things and sometimes, we can’t write because we’re distracted. Move somewhere quieter if you prefer to write with a pencil/pen on paper. However, if you write on a computer or laptop then there’s really no way to resist temptation from Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, etc. right? Wrong! If you’re a Google Chrome user (like me), you can download an app called StayedFocused that will help you... well stay focused. I’m lame, I know. Anyway, for you other users, you can also download Cold Turkey (click to be redirected) and babam! No more distractions. What these sites/apps do is they block certain websites (like Facebook, ahem) for however long you want. Be warned though, once you set it for a specific amount of time, there’s no way to undo it.

5) Take a nap. This won’t always work but keep in mind that you think better if you’re well-rested. Creativity arises when the body and mind are in sync.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: And there you have it guys, the first chapter. I know it's a bit short, but I do plan to update it when I find more ways to punch writer's block in the face. If any of you have anything you would like to contribute, feel free to shoot me a comment or PM and I will gladly add it on here for you guys.