If you’re tasked with writing, you know that at some point in time, you’ll encounter writer’s block. Yes, it’s frustrating, but the more stressed you get, the less able you are to become un-blocked. It’s kind of like… insomnia. The more you freak out about not sleeping, the longer it takes to get to sleep, right? You might as well give up because it just isn’t going to happen. But, just when you stop worrying about not sleeping, that’s when you fall asleep. The same thing is true with writer’s block.
So the key, then, is to relax… and have a plan of attack. Here’s a list of tried and true remedies to help you get over writer’s block:
- Change your voice — Maybe the problem is the voice you’re writing in, so change it. The truly great thing about being a writer is that you can be anyone on the page, so change who you are. Try seeing the topic from someone else’s perspective.
- Quit beating yourself up — You can’t write when you feel whipped. Stop visualizing catastrophes. Eliminate the pressure. Call in the troops for support.
- Write anything, even if it’s bad — Just accept that your first draft will be bad and move on to write something totally brilliant.
- Write the middle first —This might be the best advice I ever received: Stop worrying over a perfect lead, and write the next part, or the part after that. Write your favorite part. Write the cover letter or the email you’ll send. Just write something. It doesn’t have to be in chronological order. Just write.
- Write five words — Literally. Put five random words on a piece of paper. Then five more words. Try writing a sentence out of them. It could be about anything. A block ends when you start writing words on a page.
Happy writing!
