As someone who has been writing a book for over a decade, I have definitely suffered, and still do suffer from writer's block.
It doesn’t matter whether it's just a piece of blog content, a book or even a series of books; writer’s block is one of the hardest things to overcome.
There are a number of things I do to help when I am going through a lack-of-creativity phase, and I wanted to share them with you.
1. Let your brain work for you
I do something that 99.9% of the rest of the world struggle to do. I work with background noise. Some of the time, it's music; but most of the time it’s a TV show, or a film. The noise helps me stay productive, and avoid a writer’s block.
I actually looked into the science behind why I do this, and apparently, it allows my brain to work on something in the background so that unneeded information passes, and creativity comes to the forefront.
Let your subconscious do some of the work for you.
2. Just get started
Writer’s block comes in many forms, and you may be struggling with getting started. Here is a quote from the book; The Physics Of Productivity: Newton’s Laws of Getting Stuff Done on Newton’s first law of productivity.
“Objects at rest tend to stay at rest … Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. When it comes to being productive, this means one thing: the most important thing is to find a way to get started. Once you get started, it is much easier to stay in motion.”
3. Forward thinking
You can’t edit what you haven’t yet written. And, if you can’t edit it, you’re a step behind actually posting, or submitting your content/book. Let your mind think ahead, and it might actually help you get to the point you want to get to. The relief and happiness you feel when you’ve accomplished something, and overcome writer’s block can help you in the long run.
4. Change your mind
You might be having writer’s block because what your writing, is something that doesn’t creatively-drive you. If this is the case, then maybe you need to make a slight change. Come from it at a different angle, and see if that helps you overcome your writer’s block.
5. Get out of your usual environment
If sitting in bed, or working from your kitchen table at home is a distraction for you, consider changing your environment. Sometimes, it can be easy to get distracted with house chores, so get out of the house, go to a coffee shop or a park, and give your writing another shot.
6. Stop typing
Sometimes it can be difficult to put something into words. If this is the case for you, and because of this you are blocking your writing creativity, try a different option. Consider using a voice typing software and just speak.
7. When are you most productive?
Do you know what day, and time you are most productive during the week? You might be picking the wrong time to sit down and write something. If you are a writer, and on a deadline for a piece of content it may be difficult for you to walk away from it until your creativity comes back, but do consider writing at your most optimum time.
8. Write the structure first
Something that helps me with my content, is to actually decide on a title, an outline and summary. That way, I know how the article is going to start, what it is going to cover and how I am going to end it. I just need to fill in the missing parts.
What do you do to overcome writer’s block, and have you found that any of the above tips help you?
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