Writer’s Block: Every Writer’s Nightmare
Here are some things I’ve done over the years when I’ve suffered from writer’s block.
What is every writer’s worst fear. The fear that they won’t be able to write anymore. We have all gone through it at one time or another. The true terror is that it will never come back again, but never fear. A writer writes always. There are some things we can do to get the creative juices flowing. Here’s a few things I have tried.
Taking a walk can always help, but don’t take your regular route. Take a detour. You just may see something that you’ve never seen before. Be observant. Soak in the atmosphere. It may be a busy street with lots of activity, like cars going by and honking their horns, people shouting at the top of their lungs, or perhaps a quiet residential street. Take it all in with all five senses, then return home and write down everything you saw. Everything from the sound of the wind blowing, faint sounds in the distant. Did you notice a house with paint pealing? Was there a crack in the sidewalk? What did it look like? Was there children playing out in the yard? What kind of games were they playing? Was there a barking dog? How was the weather? Was it clear and sunny, or was it starting to rain. Write down everything you remember.
If this doesn’t work, try a word game. I’ve done this at time. Cut out small strips of paper about twenty in all. On each strip write a word, any random word. Put all your strips into a small paper bag and hake it up. Take out five strips and write a paragraph or two using those five words. Don’t expect a master piece to come out, but it is just a simple exercise to get the creative juices flowing.
Sometimes a good distraction can help. Get away from it for a while. Call a friend, go out to eat, go shopping. Usually when we are not thinking about it that when the answer hits us. The brilliance is back,and we start wring like mad again. It always seems when you least expect it that part of the story that you have been stuck on becomes clear, and even if it isn’t what you originally intended, just keep writing. We never know what will come out until it does.
Just remember, writer’s block is not the end of the world. It will happen many times, but don’t freak out when it does. Take a deep breath and clear your mind. Even if what you write is not prefect, and you feel like it’s not going anywhere, don’t worry. Writing is a journey, and on every journey there are pitfalls. Sometimes those bad ideas can lead to the more brilliant ones, so whatever you do just keep writing. Keep this is mind and the nightmare that in writer’s block will just become a passing bad dream soon forgotten.
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October 12th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Very true Allison, and thank you for sharing this experience.
Best regards, François
October 12th, 2008 at 7:06 am
Good advice, I agree with the walking a different route.
October 12th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Wow, that was such a helpful article! I often fall victim to writer’s block, and am planning to use all of these suggestions the moment my creative juices cease to flow.
October 12th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Wow you got it right there. I sure hope that I can keep my writers block at bay.
October 12th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Great article. I have experienced writer’s block as we all do from time to time. I then think about the little things in life and I do take a walk with these things in mind. Great advice.
October 12th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Thanks for the helpful article on writers block. I like the idea about wrting down random words and picking 5 to make something out of. That’s a wonderful idea. I also have found that reading other peoples things or watching an unusual movie sometimes gets my mind going in another direction.
October 12th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Wonderful tips, thanks Allison. You’ve said it all.
October 12th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
I always fear this is going to happen….
October 13th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
OMG this has happened to me more than once! I also have written about this nemisis thanks for sharing!
October 14th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Interesting piece of writing. There are a lot of good ideas here. I’m going to try some of these techniques mentioned in your article.
Take Care,
Kiki Stamatiou (Joanna Maharis)
October 14th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
This is good advice. Thank you for sharing. I try all them. I get writers block so much, that I wonder how I would survive if it was not my passion/hobbie but my passion/job. Thank you again for sharing.
October 16th, 2008 at 7:03 am
thanks for the tips. i hate writers block. i always just beat my head against a wall until i’m tired of trying so hard. this has just happened to me and i think i’m coming out of it. i’ll try some of these tips, then maybe i won’t have to beat myself up so hard
October 16th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
there are several errors of punctuation, spelling, and grammar that could use a good edit – otherwise, a very helpful piece
October 17th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
EXCELLENT! OMG, you’re so right, and the advice is wonderful. Thank you.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Great article, I really enjoy your poems!
January 28th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
You could always try the Albert Hoffman approach. JK. The problem is when you can’t tap into the creative part of your brain, the part that makes connections to other experiences. Its the secret to figurative language, and allows us to think outside the box.
Great article, I these are excellent ways to tap into those connections. They make us notice what we take for granted.
November 13th, 2010 at 10:39 am
This has been very insightful and helpful thanks for the tips.
February 9th, 2011 at 2:16 am
Awesome article Allison! I have bookmarked this one for those blazeh days where I can’t think of anything to write about.
I love your pics! Some remind me of myself somedays
oh and holy gucamole! I’m honoured to be your 450th like on this article!
February 11th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
453 likes! Unbelievable! I know that by deciding to read one of your articles, that article has already lead me to 3 articles so far, so that is 3 likes and 3 comments in about 5 minutes or so that I have given you. Unbelievable! And I sit here for 15 or 20 minutes hoping to see another view increase of 1!
May 7th, 2011 at 1:34 am
I don’t think the problem is not having ideas, because we all do. I think it’s we often have too many ideas. We don’t know where to start. If we had 10 hands and could be writing with all 10 of them, I think we would. With all the great ideas out there, how do we choose the one we want to write about? How do we choose the one that will actually go somewhere? I hate to write about things that go nowhere. I often do. Writer’s block is thinking we can avoid this… but the truth is we can’t. It is part of the writing process. Nice post! I agree with what you said about how taking a walk can help. I do that quite a bit.
May 9th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Great tips, I will try to apply it in my life
May 9th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
I’ll definitely be using these tips, thanks!
May 19th, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Writing is very tough job. Its not soo easy. Everyone should have ideas but the main point is how to express, how to write those ideas in words. this is the toughest job. In last, I must say that is a nice post
June 1st, 2011 at 6:22 am
I really helpful tips thanks for sharing.
June 3rd, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Excellent post and a very good blog. Thanks for the informative article. Thanks, Steve
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June 18th, 2011 at 10:16 am
Really really helpful. I think we writers should really unwind and regain our passion every once in a while. Relaxing fuels our writing prowess.
July 26th, 2011 at 2:00 am
Wow!!! its great and i really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing this.
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