Writer’s Block; A writer’s bane, may it be for beginners, professionals, or even long-time writers. It takes form in the inability of a writer to further productivity on the task at hand. It happens commonly to literary authors, novelists, and the like. Writer’s block isn’t limited to literary writing. Composers such as the late Sergio Rachmaninoff even experienced it.
Contrary to popular belief, it does not only happen to the worst of writers, such as the ones who’ve just started writing. Even prominent writers bump heads with writer’s block, it’ll also have them staring at the word counter in frustration. If that’s the case, then how could one deal with writer’s block if even the best struggle with it?
Get creative with something else aside from writing.
Paint, sing, work on a blog, basically anything under the sun that engages every facet of your creativity. Writer’s block may limit you in even just thinking of another word to write, but it won’t stop you from belting out a song about something you saw earlier today or drawing a caricature of yourself. This will redirect to your creative flow in writing.
Write in a place you can take inspiration from.
You could write about love, and you’d revisit the places where you experienced love before. It’s about tapping into significant personal experiences much that it would let your ideas flow naturally, as it does your emotions. Translating to a more productive writing process.
Never start writing as if it were the final product.
With a concrete idea, you’d tend to set your standards to what you want to write. You end up pressuring yourself to perfection in an attempt to sound precisely ‘right’ when you haven’t even finished the first paragraph. It immediately limits your ability to write freely in which you end up writing to impress and no longer to express.
Write to express not to impress.
Writing in a professional setting demands marketability. You write to publish under the standards and expectations of your readers, not your own. With that said, you’ve already encountered a block. Write for yourself; this way, your writing becomes more authentic than pretentious, making use of your creativity.
If you can’t find words, let them find you.
Rather than filling your mind with words, you won’t write, empty your mind for more words to come in. These words don’t have to be literary. They can be the headline from today’s paper, the words on a restaurant’s menu, or even words that appear on a word search puzzle.
Takeaway
Writer’s block is just another bump in the road. You could either go over it slowly, stop indefinitely before it, or turn back the way you came. It is experienced by novice writers who have ravaging ideas and thoughts, as well as the refined and, to say the least, masterful writers.
There are many ways to go about it, and it is up to you to discover whichever works for you. Take in mind that overcoming it may take a little or a long time; it may be a drastic or slight block; it may or may not yield results. Still, progress is progress. Go where your words take you.