At one point or another, if you write, then you have either had your fair share of writer’s block or will experience it later in your writing career. It is very normal to go through and that shouldn’t make you feel that you are any less of a writer and I have fallen victim to it way more times than I would like to admit. It doesn’t matter what you are writing, whether it’s your school assignment, a book you’re working on or blog post, writer’s block is everywhere and can last for a few days, weeks, months and sometimes even years depending on how bad it gets.
The number one reason why most of us writers even experience writer’s block in the first place is when we try to meet certain unrealistic expectations or try and write something that doesn’t stay true to who we are and what we do or by trying to please others.
I’ve been trying to write this article for the past few days now but every time I would sit down to write, nothing would come to mind and so I’d just sit there staring at a blank screen with the cursor flashing which caused a lack of confidence in myself and a decrease in my motivation levels. All of which is normal since it wasn’t the first time experiencing it.
Most of the articles that I write are usually inspired by what I learn and that makes it easy to write them, But sometimes, even that doesn’t work. Sometimes I find myself getting stuck and hitting a major block where I know what I want to write but can’t bring myself to write anything.
However, there are ways in which you can get out of writer’s block depending on what level it is and these are some of the tricks that I usually use. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t, it’s all about finding a balance.
Take a Walk
Take walks and get your mind clean of all thing that involve writing and when you return, you would have had a clear mind and can focus on what you actually wanted to write and how you wanted to write it. This usually works for me if the writer’s block has lasted for just a few days. It’s always important to just take that break from certain tasks that you have when you find it getting hard to continue when you have a clearer mindset.
Listen to Music
Find music that you love and listen to that while staying away from you computer. This really helps because sometimes you can find inspiration about what to write through the music you are listening to and get a new and different perspective on what you want to write. However, be careful of the type of music you choose to listen to as this will also affect you greatly. Don't listen to anything sad or depressing during such a time.
Music is known to be a stimulus so the type of music your also listen to will affect the type of content that you produce. I like to listen to really upbeat music from some of my favourite artists and after an hour or sometimes even more, I get an idea of what I want to write and the words start flowing easily.
Do something that doesn’t involve writing
Whenever you find yourself getting stuck on what to write, take a step back and do something else. This can be one of your favourite hobbies such as drawing, painting, playing with you pets orif you love cleaning or baking then you can do and exploring nature. It doesn’t have to be something big or grand, but as long as it makes you happy.
Some of my hobbies include playing chess or candy crush or just organising all my things. This helps get my mind of thinking about my writing and instead frees me from the stress and worry and when I get back to my laptop, I have a clearer mind and a fresh perspective.
Find something that you love and do that whenever you need to get your mind off of the stress that comes with writing. You don't have to be good at it, it can be a new hobby you have always wanted to try, do it. All that matters is that you are getting your mind off of writing for the moment and focussing on something else.
Watch your favourite TV Show
This is the best but also worst thing to do when you are experiencing writer’s block. It’s good because getting different perspective on writing is easy but sometimes it tends to make you question yourself to the point where you start losing interest in your own writing. This is usually the case if you get so absorbed with the content in the show that your mind starts drifting off back to your writing instead of taking it away from it.
I usually watch my favourites episodes of anime or some cartoon since it’s less related to the content I write about and makes me laugh in the process which is good for the brain.
Stay Away from Social Media
Sometimes the best solution comes when you decide to stay away from things that might trigger you. Log out of your social medias and simply spend some time away from it. As much as social media makes up a lot of some people's lives, it tends to not be good for or your mental health and if your mental health isn't stable than that tends to affect how you work.
A good social media detox is advised once in a while and you should definitely consider it. I took a break from most of my social medias and that did help a little in getting me feeling better and less de-motivated.
Take a break from your gadgets
Taking a break from your devices may seem hard to do since most of us practically live and breathe them, but this helps to reduce the amount of stress. Most often at times, writer’s block is caused due to the amount of stress we experience on a day-to-day basis or through comparing ourselves with others. But when you take a step back from using your devices even just for a day, you will find that you stop comparing yourself to others and reduce the amount of stress all at once.
These were some of the things that I did to get out of my writer’s block but you could also do the following as well. The list of things to do is endless.
Visit a Friend or Family
Sometimes the solution comes from being around other people, this can be family or really close friends. You can visit a friend or your family and just hang out with them which will help you get out of your head for a change. Essentially you can also talk to someone who is close to you and try to get some advice. Often at times this is one of the things that we neglect a lot but friends and family are really important and can help you get out of your head and stop stressing as much.
Go out
It doesn’t matter, just go out and do something. Whether you decide to go out alone or with friends, just simply go out and so whatever you want. You could grab a coffee, or go to the movies. Just make sure that you aren’t sat staring at your laptop screen all day beating yourself up for not having done any work.
Summary
There are other things that you can do to get out of writer’s block, all you have to do is find something that works for you. Writer’s block can be really severe if you experience a lot of stress and are forced to meet unrealistic deadlines while also trying to please others. This messes a lot with the normal functioning of your brain and body and you end up finding yourself back at zero with no motivation to keep on going. But you can avoid this by remembering not to set goals that you cannot meet and always stay true to yourself and the content you write or by simply giving yourself some time off to do other things.
Experiment with different things to find the ones that work for you and then start using those tips and tricks to either avoid getting stuck in writer’s block or help you get out of it. Whatever you do, just make sure that it won't take you back to zero where you sat staring at a blank screen with the cursor flashing before you w
You will find that writing will come easy when you are not stressed or pressed up against a wall.
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