3 Strategies for Dealing with Writer’s Block
How you deal with writer’s block can ultimately determine whether you become a working writer at all, because if you’re blocked, you’re not writing, and if you’re not writing (at least most days) you’re not a working writer.
We all have good days and bad days. Days when the writing flows and days when it doesn’t. If you’re feeling blocked try these three simple strategies to get the ideas flowing again.
Do something (with the intenion of writing about it)
Or as Ben Franklin put it:
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
If you’re really blocked get out and do something – but make it something you can write about, whether it’s a trip to a local attraction, climbing a mountain, learning to kite surf, or volunteering for a non-profit.
Read something (with the intention of writing about it)
So many of my ideas have been sparked by reading. Sometimes one sentence in an article will make me want to find out more about a concept or organisation and that will grow into a whole article (or at least a blog post). Sometimes one element of a short story or novel will spark an idea for my own short story. Sometimes reading the back of the cereal packet will make me want to write a peice on ‘real food’, nutrition or the ethics of marketing to kids.
Write something (with no intention of publishing it)
Sometimes all you need to do is remove the pressure of writing something publishable and just write for the sake of it. Writing a letter (that you don’t intend to send) to a loved one can work too.
In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott talks about her approach to writing an essay that an editor requested of her. As I remember, it was about being a lifelong Giants fan. Feeling blocked, she started writing in letter form to her son, remembering early experiences, and how her loyalty to the team was formed. Before she knew it she had the first draft of her essay. Writing a letter to someone close to you about something that matters to you can be an effective way to clear writer’s block.
Any home-grown remedies for writer’s block? Please share in the comments.
Any friends with writer’s block? Please share/forward/re-tweet this post 
Twitter: Purplesong
says:
Hi Karen,
Such great tips and info for any of us with writers block
and three simple yet effective strategies.
The first, “do something you can write about” reminds me when we are not physically writing, we are still being inspired and taking in ideas, brainstorming while we are doing. The second, “read with the intention of writing” I can say often times reading one page in a book will start my brain percolating,though I can’t say I’ve yet been inspired by a cereal box!
The reference to Anne Lamott’s book Bird By Bird makes me sad. I once gave away the book without ever reading it! So often now I have heard great reference towards it, that and Steven King’s On Writing, which I also have yet to read!
Thanks for sharing your tips on how to combat writers block!-Vanessa
Twitter: writeandchange
says:
Hi Vanessa. Glad you enjoyed the post. I’ve read both Bird by Bird and On Writing more than once, and actually re-read them both this year. Definitely worth getting a copy of when you get a chance. And never feel sad about having given a book away. Maybe it went to someone who needed it at the time. Good books are like good friends. They tend to turn up in your life again when you need them!
What a great post. I love it!
Twitter: writeandchange
says:
Thanks Mark
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