How to Overcome Writer’s Block

You’re sitting silently in front of your writing nook, the backlight of your computer bathing the dark room in a heavenly glow. Hovering above the keys, your fingers are eager to begin typing out your thoughts, but an irritating sensation clouds your mind. A slight pain zips between your ears as if your train of thought has halted on the tracks before a wayward cow. You feel distracted. Drowsy, bored, frustrated even. These are classic signs of the onset of WB: Writer’s Block.

Don’t worry. You are not alone. All writer’s experience it. Whether you’re overwhelmed with a blockage for weeks or just troubled for a few hours, there are some surefire ways to overcome this creative obstruction.

Fight Fire with Fire: Feeling unfocused can be beaten by distracting yourself even further. Run errands to take a break from writing or reorganize your priorities on another project. Spending time away from your challenging task will allow your thoughts to flow easier.

Natural Inspiration:  As I noted in a previous post, you can take a walk in nature to clear your mind and find motivation from your backwoods neighbors. A staycation or vacation can also be included in this category as relaxation is paramount to generating new ideas.

Magnify the Problem: Instead of removing yourself from the situation, taking the block head-on can be just as effective. Ask yourself, Why am I stuck? What is the primary problem? Following this assessment, make an outline covering all facets of your current struggle. Now you can move forward with a clarified perspective.

Subconscious Solutions: Your inability to conquer the block is all in your head. Trust me. Counteracting this internal struggle can also be found within. Free-write without any direction for ten or fifteen minutes and see what comes out. Somewhere inside your answer will arise.

Writer’s block comes down to two solutions: removing yourself from the block or writing through the block. For writers just now facing this age old complication, try all of the options to see which helps you best. Seasoned writers will know whether they need external or internal inspiration. The bottom line is that writer’s block does not last forever. It is curable. It takes a healthy dose of determination and a renewed prescription for inspiration.