Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Writing: How I Handle Writer's Block

"Road Closed" by ricky montalvo is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Writer’s block happens when you least expect it. It can be most troublesome, and can really throw a monkey wrench into your progress.

Here are three techniques I use to handle writer’s block.

Make an outline.


When I first started writing, I never really made outlines. I had many ideas; they were all in my head, so I just started writing. This might work for some people, but not for everyone. What I found out fast was that eventually I would find myself stuck somewhere with no clear direction on where to go next. My project would stall.

Then I started making outlines.

Ever since I started making outlines, I barely ever found myself stuck anymore. In these detailed outlines, I will map out every scene of the story. Therefore, I always have the outline to look at for reference to keep me moving along. I might find myself stuck on how to word something, but I hardly find myself stuck on what to write next.

Write out of order.


You are in the middle of writing and you find yourself stuck. You are at a loss for what to write. However, you have tons of ideas brewing in your mind for a later part in your story. The solution is simple, skip the part you are on, jumping ahead to the part you have ideas for, and writing there instead.

This has worked for me many times. Here are two main reasons I recommend this…

One, if you jump ahead and write the ideas you have in your mind right now, you will not forget them. If you wait, some of the ideas you have could be hard to remember and could get lost forever.

Two, although it might be out of order, at least you are writing. You are still moving along on your story regardless of where you are.

Take time away.


The last way I handle writer’s block is taking time away from my writing. Do something else to clear your mind of everything. Watch a movie, catch up on a television show, play some video games, read a book, anything that will get you away for however long you need to relax and clear your head.

When I return to my writing, I am much more refreshed and less stressed about being stuck. This creates a perfect recipe to get the creative juices flowing again.

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In conclusion, I wish you luck with whatever it is you are writing. I am not an expert, just a guy with a passion for writing, but hopefully some of the things I stated here can help you get past that pesky writer’s block.


Have any other ways to handle writer's block? Tell me in the comments below.