Writer's Block

For all the writers out there, have you ever sat down to write an article for a client or maybe to work on your manuscript and after an hour you still find yourself staring at a blank piece of paper, or maybe the doodle you drew, or the cursor blinking on your screen? Writers dread this, but this phenomenon is more commonly referred to as writer's block.

As a writer, you've probably encountered writer's block at one point or another. For those of you who aren't familiar, what is writer's block exactly? Some people may think it's a myth but in fact, writer's block has actually crippled and even ended some writers' and authors' careers. Whether you are a creative writer by hobby or by profession, writer's block can hit you at any point.

So what do you do about it? Unfortunately, there's no real way to prevent it, but there are some things you can do naturally to spark your creativity and get writing again. 

• Stream of consciousness - Basic yet effective. Sit down with a pen and paper or in front of your computer screen and just start writing. It doesn't have to be beautiful or even make sense, just do it. It can be as basic as "it is cold outside today", or "the grass is green", "my cat is asleep". Just write whatever comes to your mind.

• Practice free association - So maybe you look at that doodle you drew and write something about it. Write whatever comes to your mind. Write down random words that come to your mind and see if they form a sentence or think about how you can form a sentence from them. Or maybe you write down adjectives that describe your mood today. See if you can start a paragraph with those. 

• Take notes - Another great tactic writers often use is note-taking. You may be out shopping or in your car and something may hit you and you have that thought that comes to every writer's mind "oh, that's a great story to write about", "or I can implement XYZ into the characterization or story in my book." Either keep a notebook with you or use the "notes" app on your iPad or Smartphone and take random notes throughout the day, week, whatever. See if you can form those notes into a blog or article later on.

• Spark creativity -  Another thing you may want to do is discover what sparks your creativity or imagination. It may be listening to your favorite song, drinking a lot of coffee, doing yoga or another form of exercise, or maybe just relaxing. One of my favorite tactics is designing a creative board. What you can do is create your own poster board full of magazine clippings or descriptive words or whatever appeals to you and paste them on the board. Once you have completed your board, study it. Study it for about 15 to 20 minutes either before you go to bed at night or first thing when you get up in the morning. In fact, studies have shown that your mind continues to process what you have taken in prior to falling asleep. So when you wake up in the morning, you have a lot of fresh, creative ideas. You don't necessarily have to use a poster board. You could also create a Word document, a Powerpoint presentation, or even use Pinterest as your source of creativity. You could even share your work if you wish and get feedback from friends.
  
  Personally I have found that if I study music or sing before I go to bed, I will often times wake up with unique, original lyrics in the morning, so I write them down. I've also noticed that what really sparks my creativity is first thing in the morning when I'm sitting at my computer listening to music with a cup of coffee. This is the point of the day when I find I get a lot of great ideas for blogs, articles for clients, or even my own ideas for my business. All in all, find out what sparks your creativity and run with it.

• Just write - Easier said than done, right? Wrong. This is similar to the stream of consciousness point mentioned above. Just write whatever comes to your mind. Again, it doesn't have to be flowery language or even make sense. Just put words together and see what happens. Another thing, don't think of how many words you have to write or how long your blog has to be, or how many pages you have to write. If you focus on this, writing loses its creativity and fun and becomes work that you dread. Sure, every writer has those pieces or articles to write that no one looks forward to, but try not to focus on the length. First focus on writing a sentence, then a paragraph, then maybe another paragraph, and watch it grow from there. Worry about structure and grammar later.

So if you are or have ever suffered from writer's block, here are some great ways to get your creative flow back. Some may take more time than others, and some may even take some personal discovery to find out what jogs your creativity or what your brain responds to, but in the end, you will be able to help get out of your writer's block slump or maybe avoid it altogether.



BLUE BALLPOINT PENS
© David Coleman | Dreamstime.com

Written content: © 2010, 2011, 2012, J.H. Language Solutions