5 Easy Ways To Write With A Writer's Block

Was it?

Writer's block has long become every writer's excuse to NOT write.
 

No inspiration- blame it on writer's block

No creativity- it's the writer's block

No ideas - must be that friggin block
 

But really, does it even exist or merely an excuse?

Or so, these lies I've been feeding myself to reward procrastination.

Writer's block, a real problem as described in psychologist Paul Silvia notes in his elaborated book How To Write A Lot, as "a description masquerading as an explanation."

It depicts your current situation of not writing – and justifying yourself why not: because of the “block.”

It's like you're diagnosing yourself as sleep-deprived because you don’t get enough sleep.

Some research suggests that the behavior of not writing is governed by fear of public judgments or excessive self-criticism.

Whatever your reason, consoling yourself with writer’s block, rather than taking even the smallest steps of writing short prompts, will not make matters better.

So that was my case. And sometimes, it still is.

My lack of determination, coupled with fear of being judged is what held me back. But today. I am coping it better. Not well, but better.

Like what the famous author Stephen King advises in his book "On Writing"-

Add a new problem!

So when you're writing a story and nothing seems to be going anywhere, jumble up your ideas and get the creative juices flowing again by adding more problems.

Now it's a great time to visualize those non-existent problems. (Not when you decide to build a startup solving a problem which is redundant)

 

Here's what I did instead:

 
1) Copy others' idea

Note to always keep in mind. Copying doesn't mean plagiarising people's work. It involves drawing inspiration from other's work and make it better in that sense. It's not like plagiarism- a 100% copy of others' work. The Cheetahs in Steemit is so gonna get you for this one.

*In my next post, I'll also discuss the Skyscraper technique, which will also help you build on ideas of writing.

 
2) Keep a swipe file (full of ideas)

All. The. Time. Be an idea hoarder. Keep this creative folder stored in your cloud. You can even use curator apps to help you. (Search for GetPocket- excellent tool)

 
3) Freehand prompts

Like this piece, I'm writing now. I was supposed to write about someplace I discovered today but ended up with this post because my heart (and brain) tells me too. It's also much easier for me to start writing this piece because I already knew what I wanted to share.

 
4) Make a list of ideas

Caveat: the danger of this practice is that you'll actually procrastinate more, because you knew, deep inside, that this repository of ideas will always be there for you. And if you have the extra holidays or budget...

 
5) Change your environment

Travel to new places. See new faces. Breath in foreign air. Or even a domestic road trip. Whatever suits your fancy. The more new things the eyes can see, the more neurons your brains can trigger.

When you have no idea, spark one

How about you? What have you done to curb this writing curse? Share your experience in the comment section below!