Have you ever encountered this as a writer? -- you have already prepared yourself with writing - the desk's clean, paper's down the table, and the pen's fully-refilled.. One moment and you're about to write and.. BOOM!
"What was that again?"
"Why am I even here?"
"Okay, I'm doomed."
If YES, you have gained the enemy! The fear of most writers! -- the "WRITER'S BLOCK".
It is simply losing and not having any idea about what you will write.. before you sit on your chair, with you sitting on your chair, or right after you get out of it!
With this post, today, we are going to discuss about how you can avoid that kind of situation..
And how can you be able to not leave your personal desk and chair just because you have nothing at all to write..
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Get up and move a lot - Yes, that's correct, you have to move a lot. This can help you shake your brain (hahaha!) to get all those thoughts out , and what do you know? This may be the way for you to remember your lost idea so you can start with it again. Plus, this exercises your whole body and then you have your warm-up before writing.
Look around - Just by looking around from where you are, you may get to remember your idea.. or maybe you can have more ideas just by seeing a lot of interesting stuffs around you. With this, you can write about whatever you see.
List down words - List down words, not just simple words, but those which can help your interest - this can also be your new topic.
Remove all the distractions - It must be so noisy that your mind can't think of anything well. Go into a place that almost has no sounds, with no one shouting or something - just like the Library. With the silence, you might get more idea than with all the background noise.
Write anything! - You should write.. literally anything! Random words, random phrases or sentences.. You might get your wanted topic!
That's all! If these worked, you can now fight the greatest enemy of all writers! Just remember, do not give up on writing just because you have no idea what you should write yet.. Stand up, work, find your interest! KEEP WRITING!
I really appreciated reading this post. I have so many ideas in my head but the moment I sit down to write, it all goes away! Writing down words and just writing is such a great tip. Thank you!
Awesome advice! I love this @steemph, thank you very much for sharing this very handy tips! Resteemed!
You're welcome! Steemph is full of stuffs like this, better keep it in sight :)
I keep a personal prompt with me: I write random words in small pieces of paper and fold them/roll them into lots. When I don't have any idea what to write for that day, I just pick one and start scribbling what's on my mind. I edit later.
That's another great idea! I would try that :)
Great advice! Sometimes I find the distractions actually help a little to reset the mind! But yes you have to get up and move!
Yes that's true. Especially when the distractions are a bit connected to your thought..
The most important one is removing the distractions! There is an inherent improve when we shut down our conscious nonstop diarrhea of words and become mindful about what we intend to do and assure we do it! Thanks for tackling the subject!
You're welcome! The distractions can be the cause of losing your idea, so better get rid of it before your thoughts completely disappear.
I agree. The key is DOING instead of THINKING. Actions yield results!
You have a good point. I guess we should do both too, for better results :)
Simple and straight forward advice! Keep posting nice guides!
We'll do! :D
Many good points in your post. We've all been there I believe, and if you haven't then you will at some point, it's almost inevitable.
I can really relate to your first advice, my best immediate cure is to get up and take a walk or a run completely tech-less. That's it, no phone, no tablet, no laptop.. It's best if it's raining a little, don't ask me why I really have no clue, but it eases up my brain. Halfway through my walk I usually starts to relax and focus on my surroundings instead of my writing and while thinking about something completely else I usually experience that tiny little epiphany that can push me further. Not enough to solve everything but just enough to open the path a little bit, clear all the clouds away obscuring my inspiration.
Looking forward to hear what other people do to deal with their blockings :)
That's a great move actually. I hope we all get to take down the writer's block. :)
The techless thing has some science to it. Your screens emit an alpha frequency that puts you in a dreamy trance like state which is harder for your brain to stay active and efficient. If you're running you will increase your heart rate and your brain will eventually go into a fight or flight adrenaline mode which is best for productiveness.
That would help you be active then. :)
Thanks for this. Definitely needed some advice :)
yes, i understand and deeply understand it. my lovers of writing and writing are my hobbies. in a state of calm and comfort a writer is able to control his thinking ... I like this post. thank you.
You're very much welcome!
thank you
And remember, DO NOT smoke weed before writing!!! Smoke it when you edit ;)
So you can get fired up eh ;) just kidding.
Thanks for the tip, just wrote a blog right after reading tip 5.
Been working as an SEO/writer for the past 10 years, and I've had my fair share of excruciatingly terrible bouts of writer's block. Been working the graveyard shift for years as well, and aside from the things you’ve mentioned, here are some that worked for me:
Pushups - yep, that's right. I've read somewhere that increasing your blood circulation helps "wake up" your brain, and I would agree with this one.
Taking naps, or putting the work off until you've had sleep - I noticed that I'm able to write significantly faster after sleeping. It works even if I have to wake up really early in the morning, like 3 am. If it's not possible to get several hours of sleep, a power nap would still do.
Energy drinks - Bacchus and Kai works particularly well for me, keeps me alert but doesn't get me hyped up. Not for everyone though, so I would advise caution :D
Here's possibly the best tip I can give when it comes to writing (or doing anything really)...
Just Do It! - Yep, I am quoting Nike on that one. Sometimes we want everything to come out right that we often hesitate and rethink our train of thought instead of just writing it down. This is what causes writer's block for me most of the time. I suggest just going ahead and write what's on your mind spontaneously, then just edit it after. Sometimes even after editing it it doesn't turn out the way you want it to be. That's ok, just like anything, you only become good at writing through practice. And in my opinion, whether you're a writer, an artist, or a musician, nothing can ever be "perfect", it can only get better. Almost always when you look back at your past work you'll be able to find something wrong, but that's part of the process of improvement. As your skills increase, so do your expectations from yourself, which is good because this is what drives us to become better at our craft.
Hope this helps. Would really appreciate the follow too!