Saturday, July 10, 2010

Ways to overcome writers block

You're writing your novel and it's coming along great. You type along, fingers flying over the keyboard. But then, it comes out of nowhere... the monster that every writer fears. "Oh no! It's Writer's Block!"

It's coming at you, with its giant stinger ready to paralyze your brain with its neurotoxic chemical, preventing your mind from coming up with new creative ideas. So what can writers do when the monster comes at you. What defenses can writers carry to overcome such a mind numbing attack.

Do not worry, for I am here to load you with my armory of anti-writer's block weapons:

1) Keep on writing your novel and plow through writer's block. If you force out ideas for your novel, you might just be able to force the mind numbing stingers away, which will allow your novel ideas to eventually flow out freely (This rarely works, but try it anyway). Don't think about it, just write and plow on.

2) Write anything. When writer's block hits, try writing other things instead of your novel. Try writing some short stories or poems. Thinking up and writing new stories might spark the creative juices in your brain to think up new things for your novel.

3) Go for a run, or do some sports, or any physical activity that will burn you to exhaustion. Doing all these things will create a spark inside your body. Physical activity pumps chemicals like adrenaline, endorphins, and who knows what else, all throughout your body. All of your body's natural chemicals will rage a war with each other, until they ignite a spark of inspiration that will blow the monster away.

4) Take a break. Go watch a movie, or read my blog, or listen to music, or just sit on a park bench and go people watching. You can even do nothing and just fall asleep. Sometimes all you can do is to distract yourself from the mind numbing stingers and wait for their effects to go away.

5) Run away to another place. Sometimes you just have to run from the writer's block monster. So run away to another place and write. Sometimes changing your surroundings by going to a different place can help (make sure it's a place where you can concentrate on your writing).

6) Drink Coffee. Something as simple as a cup of coffee (caffeine) is the solution to fight off the writer's block monster's mind numbing attacks.

7) Deny everything. Close your eyes and deny that the writer's block monster even exists (I don't think this works at all, but try it if all else fails).

These are only some of the things you can do to defend yourself against writer's block. So if you're a writer, you should no longer fear the moment when writer's block will creep up on you and sting your brain.





*These anti-writer's block weapons don't always work. So prepare for the mind numbing stingers.

3 comments:

  1. OMG haha that monster I have already 4 unfinished novels, and just few days ago write the prologue of another one, if I just cuold be able to finish only ONE!!

    Cheers!!
    RoseCBR
    http://crazyreaderchick.blogspot.com/

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  2. Road trips usually drop kick the muse thief into submission. That and water. For some inane reason, the best lines come to me in the shower, or when my hands are elbow deep in dishwater, or I'm giving the 65lb wonder dog a bath. If only I could find a waterproof solution for writing implements. (Hugs)Indigo

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  3. What an excellent post!! Words always hit me at the most inopportune time - like while I am driving or have not way of writing it/them down, lol. I then repeat it over and over in my head until I get somewhere to write and it still flees my mind and just doesn't sound right, lol. Gotta love the process of the mind.

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