Block Buster
Ideas To Thwart Writer’s Block
Writer’s block is a funny old thing. Sometimes it’s more about getting your head in the game and starting your day’s work than what you actually need or want to write.
I liken it to a sportsperson warming up before a match. It’s all about stretching those writing muscles, ready for the game.
In this case, a simple free-write exercise can be enough to get you going. These sort of things are popular in creative writing classes. Regardless of the topic being studied that day, the class often starts with one of these. It helps you mentally switch to writing mode, rather than whatever other things your mind is on today.Googling “Writing Prompts Generator” delivers dozens of hits, but here’s one that looks quite nice.
https://randomwordgenerator.com/writing-prompt.php
Don’t worry if the prompt doesn’t relate to what you are writing. This isn’t about adding to your manuscript’s wordcount. If you watch a training session for an athlete, their warm-up exercises don’t always link to the sport they are competing in. The goal is to get everything running smoothly.
And don’t worry about “wasting time”. When writer’s block is really entrenched, you can spend all day writing, re-writing, deleting and stressing, with nothing to show for it at the end.
If a few minutes writing something that you’ll junk at the end is enough to start you working productively, there’s a net gain there.
Setting some constraints can be useful.
Give yourself a time limit. What can you get down in 10 minutes?
Don’t lift your pen. This is a classic in creative writing classes. The rule is write any old nonsense, just go with the flow. Don’t stop and start to overthink it. Obviously, this is better suited to a pen and paper, but if you are a reasonable typist or use dictation software, you can still do it.
No editing. Once it’s down, it’s down. Own your previous choices!
Don’t spend too long choosing a prompt. If you do this, you can waste even more time. Pushing yourself to write something outside your comfort zone can be good – and remember, this is just for you. If the end product is gibberish, who cares? Nobody minds if a goalkeeper looks a plonker during warm-up, if the end result is a clean sheet at the end of the game.
At the end of the activity, open the manuscript you are working on and start. Get at least something down whilst you are still warmed up. Hopefully, it’ll be like jump-starting a car – once the engine is running, you just need to drive it for a bit to charge the battery up.
Good luck!
Have you got any suggestions about overcoming writer’s block?
Feel free to comment here or on social media.
Happy writing,
Paul
If you are a writer and have a tip you’d like to be featured on my blog, please don’t be shy. Contact me on social media or using the email link above.
