Overcoming Writer’s Block: A Change Can be as Good as a Rest

     Most of the time, writer’s block happens when you’ve spent so much time working on something that you just feel like bashing your head into a wall. Suddenly you have no more ideas and you find yourself at a loss as to how to continue. You start finding flaws with every idea, and maybe you’re wondering if you’re written yourself into a corner. Before you unleash that scream of frustration and erase everything, step back and take a deep breath. Did you really hit a dead-end, or are you just running low on inspiration? If you feel that dull, numb feeling in your brain every time you think of your story, you are in need of a vacation from that particular piece. That doesn’t mean that you have to stop writing altogether for the next two weeks, but rather that you might consider trying something new. Whether you want to try your hand at a different genre or you want to change something about your surroundings, a change can be as good as a rest when writer’s block strikes.

    Sometimes when writer’s block strikes, it means you’ve hit a dead end. Other times, it means you’ve been thinking about the same thing for too long and need to distance yourself from it for a while. Fortunately for those avid writers out there, you can take a break without giving up writing. Maybe you’re tired of writing fast-paced action scenes and are ready for something slower, like a romance scene or something as simple as a descriptive paragraph. Writing exercises are great for breaking writer’s block; they allow you to adjust your focus and get some ideas out of your head without forcing you to get involved in an entirely new story.

    Day after day, you sit in front of the computer trying to lay out a plot that’s just complex enough to be interesting, but not so complex that it’s confusing. You’re thinking about the characters and their relations with each other; their pasts and how they contribute to the plot. Day after day, you can also feel yourself burning out. It’s times like these that you might consider writing a how-to article or a poem, just for something to take your mind off your story for a little while. Instead of using your imagination, take some time to put your research skills to use or to share some tips with those who share your interest in web design or cooking. Give the creative part of your brain a rest and let it recharge — when you finally return to your story, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to keep going.

    For some writers, the problem isn’t entirely about a lack of ideas, but about their surroundings. Is your writing area cluttered and distracting, or bare and boring? Remove the things that distract you and add things that inspire or relax you. It’s hard to write when you find yourself fiddling with rubber bands or thumbing through an old address book, and it’s equally as hard when you sit back and stare at bare walls. Put a plant or an interesting knick-knack by your computer, or hang pictures that give you ideas for scenes. You need a room that doesn’t make your brain hurt when you look around — you need a room that allows your creativity to flow.

    Writer’s block doesn’t care whether you’re just starting out or whether you’ve written five best-sellers — it can and will strike every writer at some point. There are many ways to get past it, and everyone has their own methods. For some people, plowing on through works just fine; for others, it’s necessary to take a break. If you don’t want to stop writing while you wait for an idea to come to you, try switching things up. Change what you’re writing, or change the area you’re writing in. Try a new style of writing or take your laptop and find a quiet place to write. Just remember: when writer’s block strikes, a change can be as good as a rest.