Breaking Apart The Writer’s Block

On the last post, I discussed how writing prompts can be used to battle writer’s block. This post is going to be about the giant block itself that impedes writing and results in a creative slowdown.

Writer’s block can happen to us all. Sometimes we are not inspired. Other times we are simply not able to find any creative ideas. We may be get distracted by life. Writer’s block has nothing to do with productivity and lack of skill, and it is recognized as a valid psychological subject because a lot of fear, perfectionism, external criticism, and self-pressure creates Writer’s Block for many people.

Thankfully, there are ways to break apart this oppressive wall. One method of breaking the wall is indulging in other peoples’ writing and art. Check out genres and media that you never would have imagined getting into, as there is potential for inspiration for getting into media that is outside of your comfort zone. Speaking of comfort zone, work on getting out of it altogether. Try writing in a public place, especially one that you have never visited before. You can also use what is called the Pomodoro Technique, which is setting a timer for 25 minutes and focusing solely on writing and not doing anything like checking emails, text messages, and social media, and other random activities. 

Other methods involve planning and making writing a daily habit. Writing prompts help by getting the creative juices flowing, as prompts can offer challenging questions and prompts to have you write things you would have never considered. Planning a realistic goal of how much you plan to write in a day or even in a week also helps bring order to your writing process. Devote at least thirty minutes to an hour without stopping or even taking time to self-edit. Changing your work desk and cleaning your room also helps.

Most importantly, take care of yourself. Exercise as much as you can as long walks and intense exercises can help bring about new ideas at random. Don’t ignore the potential creative thoughts that pop in your head whenever you are working out, or doing anything else other than writing.

There is no true cure for writer’s block as there are many ways around the brick wall. Overcoming writer’s block involves writing, even if the writing is not for your main project.

– MPLWG