That’s right! No more staring at a blank screen (or paper).
It may be hard to believe, but even the most skilled writers deemed experts at their crafts contribute to a tradition as old as time. The problem is that as writers, we tend to carry a certain vision in our heads and hope to replicate that outwardly. But this seldom happens. Most of the time, we’re left to wrestle with the bare bones of a forming story, essay, article, poem, text message or what have you and excruciatingly strategize for an eternity on how to expand on it. So all writers, to some degree, are accidental perfectionists.
If you’re a fellow writer out there and you’ve been sitting at your desk – or wherever you create your best work – sighing with despair because it seems like no matter how hard you try, you just can’t think of anything to write, you’ve come to the right place! Here are some tried-and-true methods to alleviate that pesky writer’s block and get the words flowing again.
Stretch Your Body
Getting up to stretch for a few minutes during writing sessions is an incredible way to raise your dopamine levels! Anytime you have a dopamine reset, you’re re-stimulating your senses, not only giving you that ‘feel good’ energy, but more importantly, enough of it to knock you off the writer’s block hill and back on the active writing horse. Moving your body – therefore ultimately, staying physically active – is also generally good for you anyway.
Create Timed Sessions
For those of us with neurodivergent tendencies, using a timer to write can be helpful in staying focused on the task at hand. Simply find any timer to your liking and set it for the desired amount of minutes you’d need without feeling like you may start checking out of your writing. Once the check-out starts, writer’s block mode is imminent. It’s recommended to start with short intervals of time, such as five minutes, and expand the more comfortable you get. You can also choose to start with much longer intervals. Do what feels right for you!
Use The Freewrite Method
This is a method that most writers, new and experienced, tend to enjoy! Freewriting is a popular writing method that is exactly what it sounds like. All you have to do is sit down and write. Write anything. Write garbage. The goal is to get some semblance of an idea on paper and run with it. You can choose to set a timer for this activity as well, but it’s not necessary. If you’re the type of writer to get carried away into the writing abyss without paying much attention to time, this is a great exercise for you!
Switch Your Writing Tools
What does this mean? Try out different modes of writing and see what sticks. Perhaps you’re someone who usually types on their laptop. Try switching to your tablet or phone. If you’re more old fashioned, or simply just enjoy it more, you can try writing by hand. In fact, studies show that writing by hand can have a range of benefits for both children and adults. Shoot, throw a typewriter in there and pretend you’re a fancy 19th century scholar! You get the idea.
Read Someone Else’s Work
There’s an old saying: “If you want to write, you must read.” Indeed, this is true. The more content you read, the more of a foundation you create for yourself to write in whatever genre and category you choose! Reading other (published or unpublished) books, articles, screenplays and more can give you a perspective on your own writing and serve as a tool of perseverance when writer’s block rears its ugly head. The key is to not compare writing, but enjoy the content as another reader while seeing how it relates to your personal writing voice.
Change Your Scenery
Changing your scenery can mean many different things, and they all depend on what you prefer! If you usually write at your desk at home, stop at your local library! Not only are you helping to keep library culture alive and well in our society, but it’s also free! Not to mention quiet. But maybe you want to sip on a coffee, tea, or steamer as you write – you can always venture to a nearby cafe! Switching around your writing scenery can help tremendously with maintaining focus. For writers who can afford it, traveling to other countries or cities is an amazing stimulation and will surely set your writing imagination on fire!
Get Inspired By Other Art Forms
Sometimes, watching or listening to other modes of media can give you your own ideas to brainstorm! If you write any genre of fiction, this is exceedingly beneficial. Take a break from writing and watch a show or movie that you enjoy. Read a different genre or form of writing than you’re used to. Go to a museum and stare at the displays. Draw your own conclusions about what they represent, or what the original creator felt while birthing it into the world. Light a few candles and listen to a soothing album by one of your favorite artists. Taking in other forms of art to analyze, dissect, and admire is crucial for any creative person.
Create A Writing Playlist
Elaborating more on inspiration for a moment, let’s talk about writing playlists! Creating one can really pull you into the zone of writing. This is especially true for those of us who write speculative fiction. Creating a music playlist for a unique writing project can make all the difference when it comes to staying motivated to the end. Music can make a scene come alive in a way that just doesn’t quite measure up when we silently imagine it in our heads. Music can make or break a scene, whether on paper or a screen.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, there are many ways to lift yourself from the terrible dungeons of writer’s block. The main thing to remember is that it’s a fairly common phenomenon that happens to the best of us – what’s more important is finding your way out, in your own kind of way that speaks to you, one word at a time. Good luck!
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KZINGA JIMENEZ 
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