You’re stuck. Uninspired. You have a deadline. Or perhaps a goal. But the longer you sit in your chair, the slower the words flow. Problem: You need to beat writer’s block.
Question: What are you going to do about it?
Here are 4 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block:
1. Get Outside
After taking a walk on a sunny afternoon, I sat in a fat Adirondack chair overlooking Moonstone Beach and outlined a 25K-word novella.
I’d been trying to write that book for days from my home office and had almost given up. Then my husband had to attend a meeting a few hours up the coast—and he asked me to join him for the ride.
The cool thing about an indie career (and the fact that, in my case, the kids have flown the coop) is the freedom to roam. On that day, I ventured north, dropped off my husband at his meeting, and found that oversized chair perched on a precipice overlooking the sea.
The walk and fresh air cleared my head in a way that four walls can never seem to do.
2. Find a Distraction-Free Zone
It’s a simple concept, really, that more work gets done without distractions. But how many times have we as authors been told to apply the BIC (butt-in-chair) principle until our word count is in for the day?
The principle still applies; it’s a good one. That does not mean that your “chair” has to be in the same place every day.
A couple of my favorite authors agree:
“I write at Starbucks so I can have communication during the day, and also because if I stay home I’ll get sidetracked by chores that should be done.” ~ Kristin Billerbeck, author of The Theory of Happily Ever After
“When I’m writing at home and I get stuck, it’s too easy to go throw in a load of laundry or do some other chore. When I’m at a coffee shop, there’s nothing to do but work through it.” ~ Kathryn Cushman, author of Fading Starlight
If you’re stuck, find another place to write where your to-do list won’t drive you to distraction.
3. Find an Inspiration-Rich Zone
A distraction-free zone is important, but an inspiration-rich zone can also help jump start your creativity. It’s not always an either/or scenario. Sometimes we need both.
That view of the sea that mentioned above and the people wandering the sand not only provided me with a change of scenery, but with inspiration as well. I suspect that my author friends who write in coffee shops to avoid the distractions of home also find plenty of inspiration there, too, such as curious conversations overheard and the observations of strange human antics.
One author went so far as to rent a cabin in the woods to find her inspiration.
Stop and think about this for a minute. What inspires you? People watching in a mall? Popcorn and a rom-com? Reading an inspirational devotional?
Figure it out, do it, then get back to work.
4. Shadow a Favorite Author
Early in my career, I read a fantastic essay about a popular author who had honed her craft and productivity by looking over the shoulder of her favorite writer.
What do I mean?
Simply, she read that person’s work, allowing herself to mull over her favorite sentences, ultimately figuring out how the author had kept her attention.
I’m not talking about plagiarsm, of course. In her must-have book on writing, Bird by Bird, writer and teacher Anne Lamott says, “Every time Isabel Allende has a new book out, I’m happy because I will get to read it, and I’m unhappy because half of my students are going to start writing like her.”
So again, I’m not talking about copying anyone, but about finding inspiration. And finding technique.
Think about it. How many times have you read a favorite novel or essay or short story and found that your mind is suddenly swirling with new ideas? That your writing voice has sharpened? And that you’re experiencing the euphoria of energy to get back to your desk and write?
I see you nodding your head there. You’re feeling this way because you, my friend, are a writer.
Beat Writer’s Block and Then Get Back to Work
If you need to beat writer’s block, find a way to shake up your routine temporarily, then get back to work. In his book, 5,000 Words Per Hour, Chris Fox makes a great case for using routine to write your books fast and well. Just remember, sometimes the brain and the body as a whole need a way to break writer’s block that can occur from too much sedentary thought.
And that break, if taken with the purpose of stirring up your creativity, can give you what you need to start again–and crush writer’s block for good.