8 things I do to overcome Writer’s block
Yes, I love to write. Yes, writing is therapeutic to me. But there are times when you want to write but you just can’t! May be you don’t know what to write about or may be you begin to write and then you just stop. There it is, right there you see a big Writer’s block! Yup, I’ve been there. Try as you might sometimes words don’t just flow freely as you want them to. The reasons for it may be different. Either it is plain laziness or there is something else that has kept your mind occupied and you aren’t able to think clearly. There have been times when I’ve decided to give up and not write for a while. And if that “just for a while” becomes a tad too long, then it becomes all the more difficult to defeat Writer’s block. Faced with such scenarios, I come up with my own ways to overcome Writer’s block. So what do you I do?
1.Take a break, do something else
If you think you are facing Writer’s block, then staring at that screen all day won’t help. Words won’t pop out magically! You may have a lot of ideas most of the time, but there are times when you need to sit back and relax for a while. Take a break. Do something else that you love to do. Take a walk, cook something delicious, do some gardening, listen to some music. It helps. It definitely helps. A slight change of activity or atmosphere can do wonders. And yes, you can write about your experience. For me talking a walk helps. And add some music to that- even better!
2.Sit back and observe
The best stories that you write are from your surrounding. Look around you. You’ll find ideas. The old lady you see next door will have a story to tell you, that bench in the park has a lot of things to tell you. Just observe! I keep looking at people wondering what their stories would be. Good or bad? Happy or sad? There will always be something!
3.Read, read and read
There is no better remedy than this. You can’t be a good writer without being a good reader. Read something that you love to, read something new. Read a book, read a blog, read a newspaper, read the lyrics of a song! Some times reading funny notice boards also give you a lot of ideas. Newspaper stories help me sometimes. A poem on some burning issue or rant on it, sometimes something just clicks.
4.Use Social Media
I use Social Media not just to share my posts as and when I write them but also to get some ideas. Reading your social media feed is a good idea. Those feeling meh or random rants on Twitter will have some background right? Pictures on Intagram and Pinterest may inspire you to write something. So use social media to your advantage.
4.Revisit old posts
Yes, reading is one of the best ways to overcome Writer’s block. So why don’t you read your own posts? Revisit old posts. Your own posts can lead you to write new ones. Sometimes or rather most times, “And they lived happily ever after” cannot be the end. You can still continue that story or write something else inspired by it. But please, don’t overdo it. I read old poems that I’ve written and I think about how to make sad ones happy and happy ones sad. Use your own content to your advantage.
5.Try something new
Getting out of your comfort zone will definitely take you places. Always love writing poetry? How about some fiction instead? Do you like writing serial stories? How about trying your hand at Flash fiction? Try something new! When I first started blogging, it was just poetry and some occasional rants. That was all. Slowly I started exploring fiction and then I just fell in love with writing flash fiction. I started writing flash fiction because I thought I didn’t have another topic to write more poems. I know that sounds stupid. Okay, next!
6.Talk to people, brainstorm
Talking to your friends, family and most importantly your fellow bloggers will help you get some ideas about what to write. I do this a lot. Random tea time conversations sometimes lead to new posts. Having a chat with a fellow blogger will definitely give you some ideas as well as some much needed motivation to write something.
7.Always make a list of ideas
Keeping a list of all the ideas that bounce in your head at the most unexpected times is something that you should definitely do. When you think you have nothing to write about just go over this list of yours, you will find something. I’ve done this a lot of time and sometimes that seemed too silly to be even noted done lead to amazing posts.
8.Write whatever is on your mind
But do you know what is the best thing to overcome Writer’s block? Just write. Write whatever comes to your mind. Don’t stop. Don’t think about ifs and buts, just write. Write about the way you feel, write about how you want your life to be, write about your day, write about anything! When you see that you can put your thoughts into words, you feel better. Writing that something would have kicked that Writer’s block away! Do you know what I once did when I had a Writer’s block? I wrote to Writer’s block! Sounds crazy? May be, but it did help. Read it here .
So these are my ways of dealing with Writer’s block. What do you do when you have a Writer’s block? Do let me know.
I am taking my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter.
Good tips, Reema 🙂
Thank you Ashwini 🙂
Just what I needed to read – thanks for writing this really precise piece of what to do when writers block hits you. cheers
I’m glad you found it useful.
These are brilliant points. Sometimes I get best stories from just a call to my siblings 🙂
That is lovely Raj! Speaking of which I kind of got an idea for my next post. Thank you Raj! 🙂
For me, making a list of ideas beforehand always works. I jot down anything from causes to day to day humorous stuff so can write on anything then depending on my mood.
Yes, that works for me too! It is so much fun sometimes to just go over your list of ideas.
Making a list and rambling or just talking to your loved ones, always helps. Great pointers, Reema!
Yeah! That really helps! Thank you Aditi. 🙂
Good points..sometimes we really face writer’s block and need some inspiration and motivation.
My latest post- http://kreativemommy.com/from-the-diary-of-a-blogger/
Thank you Deepa 🙂
I always got struck with this situation from where to start & where to end or what to write
thanks for useful tips 🙂
I’m glad you found them useful.
When I’m stuck, I paint paintings or work on my website or blog. Jumping to other projects really activates my creativity. The key is to keep exercising the creative part of your brain and eventually you’ll tap back into the flow of writing. Giving yourself time and space to be in solitude is important to staying focused. you’ll find that writer’s block is simply a minor speed bump that you can overcome easily and stay in the creative flow. Happy writing!
Thats a very smart post from you Reema , since i know the context . Honestly the bit about writing being the only way to end writer’s block is the best cure but sometimes , even though we have some kick ass ideas we arent inspired or in the right frame of mind to go ahead and do justice to them.
Your list will come handy to so many of us 🙂
Great points! I know you don’t do much of food review, but visiting an amazing restaurant and writing about it helps too. You should try sometime 🙂
I always think of doing food reviews and end up clicking pictures also but then I rarely put up the reviews. But I’ve posted a couple of reviews on Zomato.