How to deal with writer’s block

Photo by Behnam Norouzi on Unsplash

1. Usually the best thing to do is to power through the block. Perfecting your writing comes with editing. Nothing will be perfect the first time, even if you do not have writer’s block while you’re writing it. If you cannot think of a next sentence to write, remind yourself that it does not have to be good right away. A big cause of writer’s block is inconsistency. If you go several days without writing, it will take a while to get back into the rhythm of it. I have noticed this myself. During my spring break, when I wrote everyday, I had lots of ideas and had a great time. When I go a few days without writing; however, then it becomes harder to make myself sit down and do it. When I do manage to be ready to write, knowing what to type can be hard. Therefore, a consistent writing schedule can be very beneficial. Making writing a habit dramatically lowers the risk of writer’s block, though it can still happen on occasion.
2. Sometimes your brain needs a moment to think straight. If you are staring blankly at the page, and powering through the block is not working, take a step back to clear your head. Getting something to eat or taking a walk, nap, or shower all help one come back refreshed and creative. Do not mistake a break for procrastination. A break should only be 20 minutes or so. Procrastination is avoiding the task for hours or days at a time. Procrastination will not help you write. If anything, it will put you more out of practice, and make writing even more difficult for you when you finally get around to it.
3. Something that I find useful is not worrying about the words on the page. Being a writer is having a story in your head and putting it onto paper. Therefore, it is often easier to imagine what happens next. When you have a clear image of what happens next, like a movie in your mind, write down your best description of it. You can fix it later to flow or make more sense. What is most important is that you know what is happening, so that eventually you can make it clear to readers.
4. While writer’s block can commonly be an issue of not knowing how to communicate the story to your readers, it can also occur if you do not know what is happening. For example, sometimes I will have two scenes planned, yet will have no idea how to get from one to the other. When this is the case, simply talking about it to someone can be useful. Finding a solution can be easier when voicing your ideas aloud. Also, whoever you are talking to may have some thoughts. Another way to be inspired is to look at pictures related to what is happening in the story. I love Pinterest because I can look at pictures of things I may be writing about. Being able to picture the setting more clearly, with inspiration from the art of others, can make writing easier.
5. Rereading a small portion of your most recent writing can be helpful. There may be something from a few sentences back that is throwing you off. Maybe a line of dialogue would make more sense coming from another character. Alternatively, you could discover a detail that you can build off of. Additionally, rereading serves as a good reminder of where you are, and thus provides a better idea of where you are headed.

Bonus: Before you stop writing for an extended period of time, end in the middle of a sentence. When you restart, completing the sentence is easy, and gets you warmed up for continuing. Also, if you want to skip a scene and return to it later, type “tk” with a brief description of what needs to happen in the scene. “Tk” not only means “to come”, but also uses two letters that are not usually paired together in the English language. Therefore, when you are ready to write, you can ctrl+f to search “tk” and immediately find where the missing scene is.