Defeating Writer’s Block in 3 Easy Steps
The dreaded Writer’s Block. It’s like you’ve embarked on a journey and as the train slowly rounds a bend, just before the view opens to reveal a breathtaking vista, the train grinds to a halt. Or, it is as if you’re in the middle of the adventure, right in the thick of it. You are walking up decaying stairs toward a dimly lit room, your heart pounding, thoughts racing about what might come next. But, when you reach the threshold, the door slams in your face. You don’t just hear the click of the door’s lock, you also hear a heavy deadbolt thud, a chain lock catch, and, just to make the impediment extra impregnable, you hear one of those tiny slide locks grate into place. You’re barred from any more progress.
When a Writer’s Block hits, I sometimes imagine my characters just sitting or standing in the scene where I left them – tapping their foot or picking at a hangnail until I get my act together and start writing again. They even grumble between each other about my ineptitude. Unfortunately, they find themselves doing this quite a bit at times.
[In the movie “The Man Who Invented Christmas”, Dan Stevens, who plays Dickens, aptly portrays a tortured writer in the throws of a crushing Writer’s Block. In the movie, Dickens’ characters even follow him around, giving him writing advice.]
Over the years, I’ve found some great ways to crush Writer’s Block when it rears its ugly head. I hope you’ll find these tips useful too!
Before Writer’s Block even hits, try this! Don’t write too long every day (If you’re up against a due date, this doesn’t apply.). Set a timer for a reasonable amount of time – enough to make progress but not so much that you run out of ideas or you stop working as sharply. When the time is up – STOP. Yes. Stop. That way, you’ll have more to write the next day when your mind is fresh. Obviously you can finish your sentence before turning off your computer or jot a quick idea down that you don’t want to forget. When I’m at a particularly challenging part in my books, this tactic has helped avoid Writer’s Block.
When Writer’s Block strikes, try these ideas:
- Go for a walk! It’s hard to leave your writing space but force yourself to get up and walk away. Preferably go out in nature, breathe, clear your mind. This idea to walk away from a problem seems counter to what we’re told to do, you know – “Face your problems” and all that. The problem of Writer’s Block, however, is different. Sometimes, you have to get out of your head. When you’re walking, you’d be surprised what might trigger a moment of genius, so bring a pad of paper!
- Act it out. When dialogue is the issue, often acting out how your characters would converse can break the block. If you’re up for it and can get past cringing, you can even film yourself acting out the dialogue and watch it back. Then, as the critic, you’ll catch things you wouldn’t have or have fresh ideas.
- Phone a friend. This can be anyone willing to be your sounding board. A fellow writer may have expert advice from their own playbook or your sister may have priceless life experiences from which she can pull. Be sure to put your ego aside and just listen.
Writer’s Block can be challenging. There are so many ideas floating around on the internet about how to break the block. These were three that work for me. A couple I haven’t tried are:
- Put a pin in it. Put an asterisk or a note to “come back” where you are experiencing Writer’s Block in your manuscript and then move onto the next scene. I may have to use this one day but I think it would be hard for me to fill in holes later. I don’t think I could move on but it’s a trick I’ll keep up my sleeve. You never know.
- Disable the internet. Many writers think they’re experiencing Writer’s Block when what they’re actually dealing with may be distraction. I don’t easily fall down the rabbit hole of internet searches, but if you do, set a time to “research” for your writing and a time to just write. When it is time to write, disable your Wi-Fi.
Writer’s Block is an unfortunate reality for writers but there are ways to beat it. Try one of the above ideas or search online for other ideas and then – get writing again!
E.A. Henson Books 