Hello, my name is Writer’s Block and I suck. You may have an idea planned out in your head on what you want to write, but too bad. Everything you want to say is gonna stay stored up in that nice brain of yours. You’re an English major? How cute. I’ll make sure you forget every word you know the second you open a blank document. Yup. I’m a massive pain in the ass.
Writer’s block is no fun, but it is a feeling that almost everyone knows, or has experienced at least once. Take it from me. I’m a WLP major, whose extracurricular also happens to be writing. I have gathered three tips that have helped me through the curse of WB.
- Get up and move around
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Sometimes just getting away from the document and clearing your eyes and mind is the best path of action. Even if you just walk down the hall or go to make a cup of tea, a change of pace can do wonders.
- Write horribly, leave it, and edit it with fresh eyes later
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Otherwise known as word dumping, write anything you can put together. It may be hard, as it will probably be less than spectacular, but trust the process. After putting a fair amount of nonsense on the page, close your computer and come back to it in the morning. Then you can hopefully edit it down or expand on thoughts, along with rephasing things you’ve already said.
- Change it all up
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As this article is evidence of, sometimes you just can’t formulate the ideas you want or articulate your thoughts. It’s frustrating as hell. When this occurs, I think the best course of action is to abort mission and just change up the entire work. Of course, there are parameters with this sort of tactic, and what I am saying is broad. But sometimes it is best to just change it up, and start down a new path.
But honestly, screw writer’s block.