Writer's Block: It's All In Your Head

Writer's Block: It's All in Your Head

By Addison Kline

Put that slinky down and step away from the blank screen!

There is a seemingly incurable disease plaguing writers worldwide. This disease is called writer’s block and it’s all in your head! Yes. That’s right. I said it. 

Writer’s block is all in your head. 

How many hours have you wasted sitting at a computer staring idly at your screen? 

.....I'm so hung up on this novel that I don't even notice that the earth is spinning on hyper drive...

Or are you the workaholic type like me, who pushes themselves to write when they really should be catching some quality sleep? 

Can't sleep.... MUST TYPE! .... Dammit!

No matter what type of writer you are, there are some very good reasons why you are struggling with your writing, and as such there are some simple ways to snap out of your writing drought. From one writer to another, here’s a look at how you can break free of writer’s block forever.

Reasons for Writer’s Block

1. You’re Tired and Overworked

ARGH! NOT AGAIN!

Are you pushing yourself to write that novel in an unrealistic time frame? A masterpiece is likely not to be created in just one month’s time. If you are sitting at the computer exhausted and the words simply are not coming, don’t press yourself. Get a good night’s rest and start again in the morning. Your body and your writing will likely be revived, and you will be ready to take on the day with vigor.

See... You slept. Much better.

2. You’re Bored

Boredom is a slow and painful death!

Have you been writing the same book for what seems like forever? Are you so bored with writing it that you are considering just giving up completely? If you’re bored with your book, your readers are likely to be bored as well. Try writing something that interests you, even if it’s just a blog post.

See... We're all having fun now.

3. You’re Uninspired

Oh, heavens... I doth murdered a forest.

It’s not easy to write passionately about something when you feel uninspired. The only real fix to this is to do something that inspires you. More on that, later.

Fixes for Writer’s Block

There are some proven and effective fixes for writer’s block. No. Really.

See. It was stuck, just under the surface.

• Turn on some music for inspiration
• Go for a walk if you need a break… naps and refreshing showers help too.
• Go out for an evening on the town or a day trip… in order to write about life, you must first live!
• Try a change of scenery… Sometimes shaking up your writing space can help the words come more freely.
• Write something… Anything… once per day. Whether it is a chapter or a blog post. This will help you get back into the habit of writing.
• Create outlines and summaries if you’re having trouble writing prose. At least you are making progress.
• Energize with caffeinated beverages like coffee, cappuccino or soda… but not so much to the point of hyperactivity.
• Carry a notebook EVERYWHERE, and write down ideas as they come to you.
• Set an egg timer and write as much as you possible can in one half hour. It doesn’t matter what. It doesn’t matter if it’s total garbage. Write for the entire half hour and don’t stop typing. By the time the half hour is up, you should be in your “writer’s zone” and you probably won’t want to stop.

A writer cannot pick and choose when he is inspired, so do yourself a favor and set the mood. Pick out music that will help motivate you, find a quiet corner of your home to get creative, and don’t push yourself so hard that you become burnt out.

Go on, get writing. What are you waiting for?