ATTENTION, SOLDIER! You’ve just been enlisted in our War against Writer’s Block! Our terrible enemy is the inability to get anything written, no matter how long and hard you stare at a cursor blinking on an empty screen.
Whether you’re working on an essay or a novel, writer’s block can sneak up on you. This can be especially frustrating if you’ve got a deadline, so this is a battle for productivity as well as creativity. Thankfully, we do have some effective weapons for fighting the War Against Writer’s Block.
1. Knowing Your Enemy (i.e. Yourself)
While our battle here is against writer’s block, the real enemy is often… yourself! We’re not accusing you of avoiding work. But the human brain can be uncooperative sometimes, so understanding your own working habits is vital.
Find you work better in the mornings? Then set aside dedicated writing time early in the day. Is the state of your room stopping you from focussing on work? Tidy up first! The crucial thing is to know when you work most effectively, then to use this to overcome writer’s block.
2. Eliminating Sources of Distraction
You might think you’re safe at home/in the office while you’re writing, but you might be secretly surrounded by enemies… by which we mean sources of distraction. If you’re struggling to write, it could be that you find it hard to focus when there are distractions in the room. This includes everything from social media to noisy housemates, so you need to create or find a workspace where you’ll be free from unwanted disturbances.
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3. Firing Wildly! (Brainstorming and Freewriting)
Maybe you’ve set aside dedicated writing time and removed every single source of distraction from the room, but you’re still finding it hard to get anything done. If so, the best weapons against writer’s block might be brainstorming and freewriting. These involve noting down ideas and anything that pops into your head related to the subject about which you’re writing. The important thing is getting something down on the page, which will provide a starting point when you begin writing.
(Photo: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/wikimedia)
4. Go AWOL (Or Maybe Just Take a Stroll Outside)
When suffering from writer’s block, sometimes the best approach is not to write at all. Instead, take some time out and do something else.
This could be housework, something creative, exercise… anything that takes your mind off writing. Then, when you’re refreshed and writer’s block has let its guard down, you can spring an ambush and set to work!
With any luck, the battle will turn and words come more easily. And while the War Against Writer’s Block goes on, you’ll have won a personal victory.