Five Great Ways to Beat Writer’s Block

One of the many problems writers encounter when sitting down to produce a work of art is getting started. Once a writer is started it is easy to get the creative juices flowing onto the paper or computer and finish the piece, but how to get started? There are many ways to get the creative side of your brain working and get the ideas onto paper, here are some of the most successful.

Keep a Journal

Many ideas come when you’re least expecting them. Keep a journal or recorder with you at all times so when creativity strikes you are armed and ready. Later when you are at your writing place, go back to what you have recorded and see what ideas come from them.

People Watch

When you are sitting at an airport, restaurant or any place where there are plenty of people, sit and observe what they are doing. What are they saying to each other? What are they wearing? Where are they going? Make up your own stories and lives for the people passing you by. Why does the man who just walked in front of you look as if he’s in a hurry? Is he late for something? Keep asking questions, which brings me to…

Why? How? When? Where?

If an idea strikes you, ask questions about everything that has to do with that idea. Even if you don’t actually use the answers to some of these questions it’s okay because it gets you started and it leads you to what may be more important for your story.

Write What You Know

What do you know about more than anything else? What do you want to inform people of? Did something amazing happen to you sometime in your life? Draw from experience, memory, maybe a book you read or a movie you saw. You can use these experiences as idea starters.

Read, Read, and Read Some More

When you read all sorts of different genres you get ideas from them that you can use towards your proposed genre. You see examples of great writing used in many different forms. Do you like the way one author describes scenes? How can you use that technique for the scene you are working on?

Many or all of these ideas may work for you, the idea is to keep writing. Even if you feel you have nothing worth writing one day take out a journal and start writing about your day, thoughts you had, how events made you feel. Sooner or later one of these remarks will spark an idea for your next piece.