Dealing With Writer’s Block
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Greetings and salutations Scribblers!
Today we’re talking about writer’s block. Writer’s block is something every writer encounters, it doesn’t care how long you’ve been writing or what genre, or if you have a deadline coming up. It will find you and try to ruin your life.
Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but it definitely feels that way when I sit down to write and I can’t get the words from my brain to the page. So, let’s take a look at what writer’s block is and a few ways you can push past it.
Remember, that there is never one answer or one way forward. The tips I give might work for you or they might not. Or maybe it’ll spur you on to come up with an even better solution. So take what works and leave what doesn’t.
One:
I think one of the first things to do when you feel like writer’s block is interfering with your creativity is to check in with yourself. What I mean by this is to do a mental, emotional, and physical check of what’s going on in your brain and body. Sometimes writer’s block is your brain telling you that you have too many things going on and writing isn’t the priority–even if we want it to be. If you’re having family, friend, or work drama or worried about finances, it’s going to be a struggle to shift your focus to writing. You might need to step back from writing and do what’s necessary to deal with the other things in your life so you can allow your brain to relax and shift back into creative mode.
This applies to your physical state too. If something hurts–you sprain an ankle or wrist or have a headache–it’s going to interfere with your ability to be creative. Your brain is focused on trying to mute your pain or discomfort. If I’m not comfortable, I struggle to write. This can be as complex having a bad diabetes day or as simple as the room just being a bit too cold.
In the end, you need to make sure you’re tuned into your body’s needs. This might sound obvious, but usually the obvious things are the bits we tend to ignore or miss, so don’t forget to check in with yourself if you’re struggling to write. Is it really writer’s block or is it maybe just your brain saying we need to deal with more immediate issues? If you’re mentally, emotionally, and physically checked in, then we move into other possibilities for writers block.
For a lot of writers, looking at the blank page is intimidating. There’s a sense of overwhelm in realizing we’re about to put our thoughts down on that page and they’ll become real things that other people could look at or ask questions about or discuss. Or maybe you’re staring at the blank page wondering how to start this chapter or scene. Either way, you have to type something, otherwise you’re never going to break through the writer’s block.
Two:
One solution I use all the time when I’m writing, especially during the drafting stage, is that I always stop writing before I hit the end of what I know. What I mean by this is I’ll stop myself halfway through a scene or before I close out a chapter as long as I have a clear idea of what comes next. This way, when I sit down the next day, I can immediately get to work without having to sit and think about what actually comes next. Sometimes I’ll leave myself a few notes to help remind me of any specific elements or ideas I wanted to include.
Doing this is a simple way to kick my brain into gear and shift it into writing mode. Another possible solution is to go back and do a light edit or revision on what you wrote the last time. This works in the same way because it signals to your brain that it’s writing time and jumpstarts your creativity as you settle back into the story.
Three:
Another way to move forward it to just start telling yourself the story and writing that down instead of actually writing. You might type something like “And after they leave the house, they need to run into their mom. And she’ll be coming home from work and be upset they snuck out. But then an ice cream truck careens down the street and…” This can help to get the words flowing without the pressure of making them good. Once you’ve gotten the director’s notes version of it down, you can go back and write it in the actual voice and POV you intended.
Sometimes I run into that problem when I’m revising a manuscript and I get to a place where I have to insert a whole new scene or chapter. The rest of the manuscript has had some tender loving care and I get stuck in the frustration that this new bit I’m drafting isn’t as good and I can’t go on until I find the PERFECT word or line of dialogue. I really have to shake myself out of it and remind myself it doesn’t have to be good, it just has to exist. I’ll have the opportunity to come back and revise and play with it. Writing out the scene as director’s notes or an outline helps me to let go of that need for perfection.
Four:
Another form of writer’s block, and one I think a lot us run into more than we care to admit, is when we’re trying to push our manuscript in the wrong direction. This might be a plot point that doesn’t make sense or a character saying or doing something that doesn’t fit. As the author, we’re like BUT THIS IS SO AWESOME and if they say this or do this it will be so wicked cool, but everytime we write it, it falls flat.
In the first draft of the manuscript I’m currently querying, I had this super cool swamp with trees in it that ate people and as I revised, I kept trying to keep that bit in because I loved it. I’m obsessed with the idea of sentient trees. But when I would get to that bit, I couldn’t make it fit and I kept getting stuck. So, sadly, I removed it completely, tried something very very different and it worked so much better from a storyline perspective.
Similarly, I’ve written chapters from one character’s POV and I get stuck halfway through only to realize it’s not their chapter and I have to switch the POV. As soon as I do it, the dam is opened and words flood the page.
So, if you’re stuck, step away and do a 180 degree pivot from where you were. That cool swamp tree I took out? In the original version the characters were trekking to a different city. In the current version, they never leave the city they start in. It’s a completely different direction. So play around, try new things, the more outrageous the better. Try changing the emotions, the POV, the location, have it start to rain. Don’t let your brain trick you into thinking there’s only one path forward. There are hundreds of different ways to go forward and exploring multiple paths isn’t necessarily a waste of time.
That cool tree is now going into another manuscript where it fits perfectly as the world has several different types of sentient trees. I’m also a firm believer that no words written are a waste Whether or not they worked for that scene, they’ve taught you something about writing.
Five:
Try changing up your writing method. If you normally type, grab one of the multiple blank notebooks I know you have stashed around your house and a pen or pencil and try writing by hand. Vice versa if you’re usually a write by hand kinda person. Research shows that typing and writing by hand use different portions of the brain, so this a great way to trick your brain into doing what you want it to do.
Six:
Another strategy is to make a list of all the things you love about the story you’re writing. Sometimes, if the frustration over writing gets us down in the dumps, we need that reminder of what we love about a project. Writing it down or sharing it with your friends can help to hype you up and get you excited for it again. Never be afraid to be direct with your support team–sometimes you just need to tell them you’re feeling down and you need reminded of why your story matters. Getting a pep talk can do wonders!
Seven:
My last and possibly one of my favorite hacks for writer’s block is to write fanfiction of my characters. Sometimes I just think through it in my head and other times I actually write it on paper. It just depends on my mood. But I love working through little slice of life scenes with them or imagining them in a beach episode a la Avatar the Last Airbender. Which character would bring the snacks? Which one would be overly competitive? Who’s making sure water safety rules are enforced? Who fell asleep in the sun without sunscreen? As silly as it sounds, it helps bring that joy and fun back into the writing process for me. As a bonus, I’m doing character work because figuring out which of my characters in a story fits into each of these character archetypes gives me a deeper knowledge of who they are.
Of course, if all of this fails, then I usually just stop writing for the day. I love writing too much to let it frustrate me for extended periods of time. This is something I’ve had to learn as a writer as I used to just keep banging my head against the wall when something wasn’t working and I couldn’t get words down on the page. Learning to step away and sometimes take a day or two or even a week to let my brain rest has been a gamechanger. And, if you have a deadline, you have less wiggle room and you might just have to power through. In that case, god speed to you!
I hope this look at writer's block helps you to unlock your words when you need to.
As always, your mileage may vary! Share your favorite way to beat writer’s block, tell us in the comments!
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