Overcoming Writers Block

How do you over come writers block when it happens to you.   You know darn well, you aren’t going to be immune to it.  At some point in your life you will experience writers block.

Don’t you have days when suddenly the words have stopped coming?  You can’t think of anything to write?  Your mind draws a blank page with nothing on it.   And no matter what you do, you just can’t think of anything to write about.

This probably means that you have exhausted yourself and you can’t go on.  A clear sign that you need a break.  Stop and take a breathe.  Go for a walk.  Go see a movie.  And even take a break and read some books.  This is often called exercising your brain. 

You clearly need to find things to inspire it.  Then when you feel refreshed, you can come back and click away on that favorite keyboard of yours.  You know you love it.  Come back often and keep writing.

Sometimes writers block lasts for a while.  Then you seriously need to figure out why you aren’t being able to write.  Is it just that you want to procrastinate for a little bit?  Do it, but don’t stay away too long.

Sometimes you just need to take a break and spend time with your family.  Maybe they will inspire you.  Family and parenting are often a great starting point. 

Look at your surroundings.  Try to think of prompts that might set you in the mood.  Take your favorite line of a poem you read and then write your own poem.  How about look at an object or a photograph and then write about it and the feelings that come from it.

Try writing poetry or a short story or something that you don’t ordinarily write about.

You never know what might spark you to come back after your troublesome writer’s block.

And then once you have your words back, take a good sized golf club to your writer’s block.

Jennifer Jo Fay

Copyrighted January 12, 2012