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Even the most prolific writers can encounter dry spells. Simply sitting at a desk, staring at a blank computer monitor and trying to force ideas to come to fruition aren’t effective solutions to writers block. Whether your problem is a lack of ideas or just the inability to focus on a specific topic, these five tips should help to get rid of even the worst cases of writer’s block.
Don’t Force It
Trying to force ideas into your head is one of the worst things a writer can do. It rarely produces results and frequently makes the situation worse by increasing the writer’s level of frustration. Even a short break can stimulate your creativity, and activities such as exercising, reading a book or watching television are perfect ways to get your mind off of writing for a little while.
Pay Attention To Your Environment
Inspiration can come from your surroundings just as easily as from your inner thoughts. If you have a hobby, try relating the subject you’re writing about to an activity you’re interested in. Going to your favorite website might also trigger some creative thoughts to spring to mind. Watching the news can also be very helpful, since current events always make great subjects for writing. Just be sure that a short break away from your work doesn’t turn into an all day marathon on the couch watching television or surfing the Web.
Just Start Writing
Even if you’re doing nothing but randomly pressing buttons on the keyboard, seeing words fill up a blank page is often just the thing your brain needs to get on track. One of the benefits of writing in the age of computers is that it’s easy to go back and edit whatever you write, so don’t be afraid to just type thoughts out as they spring into your head. Even if you write something as mundane as a personal journal it will train your brain to collect your thoughts in an orderly manner, which makes writing a whole lot easier.
Find New Interests
Finding new things to get interested in is a great way to get your brain cells working. Find something you would normally avoid doing and start getting involved in it. Learning a new instrument, playing a new sport, or even watching a movie you normally wouldn’t watch are all great ways to come up with fresh ideas. Don’t be afraid of trying something new and failing; failure is almost always an excellent subject to write about.
Revisit Old Material
Digging out old writing projects and reviewing them is a fantastic method for overcoming writer’s block. It’s possible that since writing them you’ve come up with new ideas or points of view that you can integrate into them. While reusing old topics isn’t necessarily a bad idea, just be careful that you’re actually adding something new to what you previously wrote instead of just regurgitating the old information.
The previous five ideas are just a few simple ways that you can fight writer’s block and increase your productivity. If you find your writing output crawling to a standstill, then don’t be afraid to try as many of these tips as possible. With any luck, they’ll have you back to your keyboard in no time.
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