Let’s face it, we all encounter the horrifying blankness and uncertainty that is writer’s block. It creeps upon you in the dead of night, filling you with dread and doubt about your talent as a writer. But it can be slain! Here are five different and dramatic ways to divert your attention from the big bad monster that is writer’s block.
Channel Your Physical Energies
No, it’s not communing with the spirits. Sitting in a dark room typing away might take up your mental energy, but it’s keeping your physical energy trapped up and angsty. Take a hobby you may have, which may be just as fun as archery, and upgrade it to the more extreme intense version, like upgrading regular fishing to ice fishing.
Embracing the distracting physical activity and finding the best rod for ice fishing will completely banish writer’s block from your mind. Not only that, it will give you something else to write about.
Remind Yourself How Wonderful You Are
Writer’s block is more of an inner demon that rears its ugly head when you doubt yourself. Think about how wonderful you actually are. No really! Make a creative round-up of your biggest and brightest achievements. Make sure you take a look at it every so often and update the list every time you do something else incredible. If you’re struggling to do it yourself, grab a trusted friend and get them to tell you.
Break The Routine
If you’re constantly writing in the same environment, you’ll fail to feel inspired and the fog of writer’s block will descend. Change your scenery, whether that’s writing in the local coffee shop or library, or simply moving around your own home so you’re staring at a different wall or window. Make sure you take a break from your screen too. Even five minutes of doing something different can refresh your mental activity and get those cogs turning again.
Think About The Big Picture
As a writer, you often have a tendency to be overly detail-focused, and it’s perfectly understandable to lose track of the big picture. Break down your creative goals for the upcoming months and make time every week to look at it and remind yourself that determining the personality flaw of a minor character won’t impact your entire novel. If you’re really struggling, go back to basics and have fun with a story generator, get some inspiration from some out of the box ideas.
Get Some Creative Friends
It might be attending an immersive writing retreat, or simply grabbing a coffee with some close creatives, but surrounding yourself with interesting conversation is bound to wrangle that writer’s block. If you treat it like troubleshooting you’ll also be able to get their feedback on what helps them get through it. Writing in the same room as your creative cohort will also make you feel supported and less alone in your writing endeavours.
Slay your writer’s block dragon by trying something inspirational or extreme, shake yourself from the shackles of your daily routine and get some creative backup. You’re not alone in your writer’s block, and there’s many fellow creatives out there to help you get through it.