Breaking Through Your Writer’s Block

The Blank Screen

You sit at your computer with your head clasped in your hands and stare at the empty screen. Burrows of frustration deepen across your brow as the words refuse to surface. If an idea does bubble up to find its way onto the page, you wince and delete it with haste. Having worked as a copywriter in advertising agencies and radio stations for over a decade I’ve spent a lot of time biting my nails as my eyes dart between an empty screen and a clock that’s racing toward a deadline. Kick starting my creativity when I’m not feeling inspired isn’t easy, but I’ve found a couple of tricks that can help to break through the block (no matter how uninspired I’m feeling). Here are a few ideas which you may find useful – whatever form of writing you do.

Just Start Writing

Forget the subject you want to write about for a moment and just start typing. It doesn’t matter what comes out of your mind and ends up on the page, just write. Write about the pot plant beside your desk, the chair you’re sitting on, or the cup of tea you just had. The pure process of forcing yourself to write can be enough to put you in the right frame of mind to focus on the job in hand. The quality of the writing in this exercise is irrelevant so just keep on typing without stopping to read over it until you feel the block breaking up. Once you’re spent, delete what you’ve been pouring out (or save it in an ideas folder – there might be something useful there) and turn your attention to your project. Hopefully you’ll be raring to go now.

Clear your Thoughts

My writer’s block can sometimes be down to having too many thoughts swimming around up in the gray matter. If my mind is racing I sometimes find it helpful to write down all those things that are running through my mind and preventing me from focusing. The little issues that kept me awake last night, the frustration with the commute to work, how I’d rather be out playing tennis in the sunshine, the shopping list for tonight’s dinner. Anything that’s on my mind gets written down and I keep writing until all those stray thoughts are down on the page. This process can really help to cleanse your mind and get you focused.

Leave the Computer

I see the computer as a tool for moulding ideas not coming up with them. As such, I seldom come up with ideas while sat in front of my computer. I usually get up, take pen and paper, go to another part of the office, and start scribbling things down. A simple change of environment (as simple as moving to another part of the room) can work wonders for kick-starting the thought process.

Go for a Walk

Fresh air and exercise can be a great stimulant for creativity. If you’re stuck for an actual idea, go for a walk around the city. The average busy city centre will bombard the open minded writer from every angle with stimulating material so a notebook and pen can be useful. If you’ve already got the idea but are struggling with how to form it, hit a park (or the beach if you’re lucky enough to live near the ocean) as nature can be very inspirational.

Talk to People

While the process of writing is a pretty solitary pursuit, the process of coming up with ideas can really benefit from interaction with others. Working in the creative department of an advertising agency means I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by like-minded people who I can bounce ideas off. If you work from home you may not have that kind of luxury but that’s no reason to struggle on alone. Seek out someone like-minded that you can call upon to sound your ideas out on. Failing that, look at joining a writing support group. Do a bit of research of groups you could join in your part of town or join an online group if you can’t find one.

Go People Watching

If the piece you’re struggling with is character based, hit the streets with a notebook and do some people watching. Sit by the window in a cafe and watch people as they pass by. Park yourself in the sun in a busy part of the city and watch the peculiar habits of the people around you. And eavesdrop on conversations on public transport. Your best source of inspiration for writing about people is to immerse yourself in daily life, so get out there and see what the world is up to.

Give Yourself a Deadline

There’s nothing like the pressure of a deadline to force words onto a page. In a work environment this is enforced for you but if you’re simply writing for pleasure at home, you’re going to have to get tough with yourself. Don’t keep putting your writing off because you’re not feeling inspired as there’s a good chance you’ll never get round to finishing it. Get proactive and give yourself a serious deadline. Write it down, post it where you’ll see it every day, and stick to it.

Write Something Else

If you’ve tried all of the above and the piece you’re trying to write is still giving you serious grief, walk away from it and start another project. The freshness of the new job combined with the break from the problem piece could be enough to fire up your imagination and break down your writer’s block. Happy writing.