Writers block: whether you’re working on a piece of fiction or an essay, it will or has plagued you at one time or another. So how do we move on from the various feelings of word weariness? Read on to identify what type of block you’re feeling, and how to move past it.
YOU CAN’T FIND THE TIME
Sometimes, and especially when we’re writing things without specific deadlines, it can be hard to carve out the time to write as much as we would like to. In this case, consistency is key. Plan to write for a specific hour of the day in a specific location! It may be hard for the first week or so, but soon it will become habit and the space you go to will feel conducive only to writing.
YOU HAVE NO IDEAS
This type sucks. We all have those moments where were drawing up a perpetual blank about what to write. Take a walk. Clear your head. Stop trying to think. If that doesn’t work, journal for a bit in stream of consciousness style. Don’t worry if you stray off topic, this is how ideas get generated!
YOURE OVERWHELMED BY THE POSSIBILITIES
Sometimes we have too many ideas. It’s easy to just sit there and let them wash over us without really understanding anything. This is a time to jot them all down in a list, go make yourself a cup of tea, and come back to them with a fresh mindset. You could also flush them out with a vina!
YOU’VE HIT A CREATIVE WALL
You keep staring at the page and not really seeing anything. How did this happen? You were really building up momentum a second ago. This is the time to sit with it. It may be uncomfortable, but just leaving everything is sure to mean that you won’t come back anytime soon. Make sure you sit through the whole hour you told yourself you’d write for. Push through the discomfort. Let your mind relax and explore. Something will come I promise!
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU MADE THE WRONG CHOICE AND NEED TO START OVER
This is the absolute worst feeling, but often times it is secretly the best kind of writers block. That nagging feeling that something’s not right or a phenomenal new idea that fits with absolutely nothing that you have just created can actually propel you forward. Don’t delete anything, just start fresh. You’ll often find that a lot of what you previously generated fits into your new concept, and that you’ve flushed out a lot of brianstorming that makes writing everything the second time a whole lot easier.
Experiencing writers block? Have new tactics to overcome it? Share with a vina and comment below!
(Feature Image via Appreciating Amelia Warner)
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