Writers, if there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s that writer’s block affects us all and it’s awful. As a fellow writer and aspiring author, I have experienced writers block more times than I can count.
In a Writer’s Digest article, author Brian Moreland talks about seven tips he uses to get rid of writer’s block. Most of his tips are things we’ve all tried, or at least should, ranging from moving around to freewriting. His final tip is out of the box: the glass of water technique. To learn more about this technique and his other tips, you can find the article here: http://bit.ly/BriansWritersBlockTips.
On author Jennifer Barnes’ website, she answers a question from a writer asking about how to get over boredom and writers block. Jennifer goes on to say that you should never be bored with your work: boredom and writers block are two different things. To get over writers block, think about what you’ve written recently and decide what’s working and what isn’t. Oftentimes, Barnes believes writers block comes from one thing: the fact that writing is just hard and you have to push through it. To read more on her tips, visit her blog: http://bit.ly/JenBarnesWritersBlock.
Every writer goes about writing in a different way, so why shouldn’t we look at the answer to getting over writers block similarly?
Here are my 3 tips to help you get out of your writing funk:
Just Read
Picking up a book and delving into someone else’s world easily does the trick for me. It takes my mind away from what I’m creating, while also subtly giving me tips and ideas on how to fix problems in my own book.
Write it Out
Whether you just push out some random words for your book, or you take it to a journal, sometimes getting your thoughts onto paper (or a computer screen) can help you untangle that jumbled writers brain of yours.
Work Your Body
This can be taken many ways. I find that getting up and physically moving my body helps, whether that means exercising or just walking away from your computer and making a sandwich. You can also literally work the body of your manuscript; end your last chapter on a high note so when you go back to writing, it’s to something exciting!
Don’t let writer’s block control you; take action and work through it!
My name is Bethany Fulk, and I am an aspiring YA author. I graduated from Davis and Elkins College in 2017 with a BA in English and a Minor in Psychology. I have my own blog, www.bethany-writes.com where I post blurbs, fiction, and writing tips and tricks. I’m currently enrolled in the Social Marketing Specialization with Northwestern University through Coursera. Find out more about this course here: http://bit.ly/socialmediacoursera. Follow along with me on my blog and my Twitter: http://bit.ly/bethanyfulk.