9 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block… that you’ve never heard before
Hey, I get it. Writer's block is a very real thing.
Writing is everything to me, but for three years after college... I didn't write a thing. Maybe three pages total... one comedy sketch was all I wrote for three whole years of my life.
Now I write at least 50k every month. That's the equivalent of National Novel Writing Month EVERY MONTH.
This wasn't magic. It was a change in my life and writing process that helps me write as much as I want, overflow with ideas, and stay focused so I can complete projects.
Here's how you can kick writer's block's ass... for good!
How to Find Inspiration
If you struggle to come up with ideas or get the motivation to write, you need to refill your creative gas tank. Add creative inspiration to your life with the following three tips.
#1: Change your social:alone ratio.
What is the social:alone ratio? It's just my fancy way of saying "the amount of time you spend alone and the amount you spend with other people."
Take a look at how many hours per week you spend with other people, virtually or otherwise. Are you spending more time socializing, or more time by yourself? Whichever it is, flip the balance.
If you spend more time by yourself and alone with your thoughts, spending more time with others could spur your creativity. Schedule chats with friends and family. Shoot out some messages to people you haven't spoken to in a while. Seek out interaction!
If you're more of a social butterfly right now, you might need more alone time to get back into writer mode. This doesn't mean you have to sit and be sad in a lonely cell in writer jail. Just go somewhere to create where people won't try to talk to you, or spend the day doing contemplative activities or outdoors exercising by yourself.
#2: Join a creative group.
You'll notice something interesting if you study art history... Great work often comes in waves from groups of artists who are collaborating and learning from each other. Great things happen when people put their heads together, even just to talk about art and their work.
Put this principle to work for you and join a group that's full of people who have the same passion for writing as you do. Virtual works great for this. You can find lots of writers to connect with on twitter at #writingcommunity, or search for your interests and area on Facebook.
“Great things happen when people put their heads together, even just to talk about art and their work.”
MeetUp is also an incredible app for this. Most likely, writers' groups already exist in your area, and they'll love for you to join. You can find MeetUp for free in your app store.
Lots of writer's block articles will tell you that "new life experiences" will spur your creativity. That can be helpful, but it's even more helpful to talk to and learn from other artists who are going through the same things as you, or have conquered those challenges already. There is nothing more invigorating than working on your manuscript in a room full of focused creators!
Pro tip: Join three groups to try them out, and then keep one in your life and put your effort into attending that group regularly.
#3: Do some hippy stuff.
A lot of times, sparking creativity is like chasing the magic dragon: we've got to take a roundabout route to get there.
Pick an activity from the following to try for the first time:
Meditation
Essential oils
Aromatherapy
Spiritual cleansing
Tarot card reading
Mind expanding activities I may not even know about!
The more skeptical you are, the more wacky the activity sounds to you, the better! Pick something totally out of your comfort zone. The goal is to expand your mind and see the world differently.
Pick a thing and give it an honest try for at least one month.
How to Make it Easier to Write Regularly
Do you have plenty of ideas, but struggle to sit down and put words on the page? Perhaps you're feeling scared, like you're not good enough.
We've all been there. Here's how you can get past that mental block and get your pen moving.
#4: Write something in a form, medium, or genre you’re not used to.
Think of what you usually write... and then start a project that's totally different.
If you write historical fiction, try to write SciFi. Even better, pick something that's WAY DIFFERENT than what you usually do. If you normally write Fiction, write a song!
Pick something far enough out of your comfort zone so you won't worry about being "good." You know it won't be your best work, because you have no idea what you're doing in that genre or medium! So you don't have to care about that at all.
This can totally free your creativity and get your pen moving again. Plus, maybe you'll find you really do love the new thing you try!
#5: Take something you love and rewrite it.
Pick something you know really well. Don't go back to it and rewatch or reread before you attempt this. Go off your memory.
Let's say you love Birds of Prey (I love Harley Quinn so much). You remember it really well, but not perfectly. Great.
Sit down and write the script. Or write it as a short story, but however you do it, rewrite it as much as you can from memory. For the parts you can't remember, fill in the blanks with your own ideas.
This project totally takes the pressure off your writing because...
It's not your idea, so there's no reason to judge yourself for it
You already know it's good (or delightfully bad), so you don't need to ask yourself that blocking question of "Is this any good?" You love it already.
You really don't have to worry about the final product, because if you tried to sell it, it would be plagiarism.
You'll launch your creativity filling in the blanks that you don't quite remember perfectly, AND you'll remind yourself what you enjoy about storytelling. More fun, less stress!
#6: Start a blog or scripted vlog.
Pick a specific topic that you know a lot about or that makes you excited to learn more. Try to pick a subject and not just write about your own life. Not only are people more likely to want to read something about a particular subject, it will be easier for you to come up with new ideas regularly.
Set a publishing schedule and stick to it. Write an article every week, every two weeks, once a month, whatever you can promise yourself and actually do. Less than once a month probably isn't helpful, while more than twice a week is kind of insane.
Now here's the kicker. Just writing the blogs and throwing them out into the cyber-verse won't help you. Not as much as this next thing will.
Get a friend or peer to commit to read all the posts and offer you feedback. This will not only hold you accountable, as they will ask when your next post is coming out so they can read it, but it will help you form a healthier relationship with criticism. Yay, social pressure and low-stakes feedback!
It'll be a lot easier to take criticism on your blog than The Great American Novel you've been working on... and this will teach you to write regularly on a schedule, a necessary skill for a professional writer.
“It’ll be a lot easier to take criticism on your blog than The Great American Novel you’ve been working on...”
How to finish a project
Sometimes, you've got the perfect idea. You're totally motivated, you love the idea! But... it's been a while... and it's still not done.
If you have a project in mind that you just can't seem to get done, here's the three things you need to start doing now.
#7: Get an accountability buddy.
Do you keep setting deadlines for yourself and then breezing by them without accomplishing much? You're not tapping into the power of public shame!
It's a powerful motivator.
Find another creative person and meet with them weekly. Follow these steps for your meeting.
Share if you hit last week's goal.
If you didn't hit your last goal, talk about why, and what you could do differently this week.
Set a goal for the upcoming week.
You'll be surprised how much easier the words flow when you have to report in to someone!
If you want a more casual way to do this regularly without having to find a partner, check out My Creative Break on Facebook. They ask for your goal every Monday and check in with you at the end of every week. Easy way to connect with others and stay on task!
Neurodiverse Pro Tip: Weekly meetings can be stressful for those with depression or anxiety. If you feel like the meetings are making you sad or anxious, change from a set weekly meeting to quick updates over a messenger app. Tell your buddy what you're working on, how it's going, and cheer on their efforts. Focus on your wins if depression or anxiety is a challenge for your creativity
#8: If you’re stuck, describe your project to your friend as if it’s a movie you’ve already seen.
This might sound strange, but it will spark your creativity and help you work out whatever is blocking you.
Start by scheduling some time with a friend. Tell them you just saw a movie that you HAVE to tell them about. You can let them in on the real point of the conversation if you want, or keep it to yourself.
Tell them about your "movie" as follows...
Go from the beginning as far as you have figured out the plot. If you don't know exactly how it ends, just leave it out for now.
Answer any question they have about the movie, and here's the important part: Answer even if you didn't know the answer in advance!
For instance, if you are writing a book about a hardboiled detective, and you tell them about his filthy apartment, and they ask, "What city is it in?" and you haven't picked a city yet, just say the first city that comes to mind.
If you absolutely can't think of an answer to their question, say, "I couldn't tell. What do you think?"
Once they've asked all their questions, ask them any questions you have! If there's a part of your book that you don't know what to do with yet, describe it to them and ask what they think would happen.
Make sure to record the session or take notes!
It might seem like a roundabout way to come up with ideas, but it will give you a new perspective on your work, and show you what an audience might think of your story. You'll get inspired, without the stress of talking about your baby... I mean... your book.
#9: Make a soundtrack.
Create a mood-perfect playlist for your work. It can be for your entire story, or for one section you're struggling to write.
Just make sure you set a limit on the number of songs or a time limit on how long you'll spend putting it together. You really don't need more than a few hours to put together a reasonable playlist. Don't put off writing for weeks because you're "working on your soundtrack"... That's a stalling tactic and we both know it.
You can also add to the playlist spontaneously as the weeks roll on and you listen to other music, so don't feel like it has to be set up perfect right at first. Just add songs that put you into the right frame of mind for your scene.
Play the playlist every time you sit down to work on your book. It will transport you into the correct mood and inspire you as you work.
Bonus Tip!
If you want to feel like you're writing more and motivate yourself to keep going...
Make your font bigger.
It tricks your brain into thinking you've made more progress. That feeling will encourage you to keep going for longer periods, and you'll actually get more done!
Need more help feeling creative?
Download our 21 Creativity Killers (and How to Fight Back).
It's an easy guide to find what's holding you back from your full creative potential.
We also give you an Action Plan so you not only diagnose the problem, but pull the proverbial nail out of your foot and get back on the road to making stuff.
