Writer's Block and How to Get Past It

The first time I voiced me fears about writer's block was when I asked my mentor, the late great Peter Robinson how he dealt with it. When he responded he was the most serious I ever saw him. He stared straight into my eyes and replied that he couldn't have the luxury of writer's block. Writing was his job and so he had to turn up to work every day and do that job. His view was definite and dogmatic.

I valued Peter's advice and encouragement in many aspects of my writing and my early career, and I miss him. However, I know too many authors who have had periods of writer's block, dry spells their writing being on the doldrums, whatever they call it, these issues cannot be ignored. These writers have struggled with times when they have not been able to write the way they want to share their stories and thoughts. This can last for weeks or months at a time so it is not a problem simply to be ignored.

How can you get over writer's block?

Exercise - whether it be swimming, jogging, taking a long walk or pumping iron in the gym, exercise is a tried and tested way to release that block. It seems to work because the exercise allows the growth of new ideas, aids memory, this also helps with idea generation, and imagining new situations.

Repetition - Often ideas flow when we're doing something mindless that we have to do over and over again such as folding clothes, ironing, washing dishes, or wrapping presents. They are jobs that don't require our attention or thought, so our minds can wander to pasture new and out of the restrictions of writer's block.

Music - When we listen to music, it helps us access the creative, expressive parts of the brain and helps us relax and allows our minds to wander. Many writers use classical music to restart their writing because there are no distracting lyrics. I also find songs with which I am very familiar help jump start ideas.

Creativity - Surprisingly a change of pace or place can help. If you head to a local coffee shop or library where others are working hard on their projects it can help reinvigorate you to restart your own piece. it sounds counter intuitive but scientists have studied this and have found that being around people working on their own creative projects can compel you to copy them. I don't know if this infuses you with their work ethic, concentration, or productivity, but I have certainly found that simply moving from my usual study to the local library often works for me.

Form - Changing to a different form of writing may help. If you have reached an impasse in your novel, write a short story. If you can't find the correct word for your flash fiction, set your mind to creating a poem where use of language is equally important. Create a blog post, write a letter or send an email to a friend. Apparently changing your mode or format of writing breaks through your organized, systematic, analytical thinking and this encourages you to make new connections and think differently. Let's use this change to our advantage.

Read - When writer's block strikes it can be depressing and can rob a writer of their self worth. The last thing you want is for the block to become a depression that is even more difficult to escape. This is the time I turn to reading. I read all the time anyway, but when I'm blocked I spread my reading. I read anything and everything, not necessarily in my preferred genre but works by different authors, news reports from all over the world, song lyrics and poetry. This helps by jogging my mind and getting my writing back into the groove.

Social Media - When your mind is blocked, make a deal with yourself to write for an hour or two without checking Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. During this time write anything: your shopping list, the description of what you see from your window or a short story about the day the cat is having, it doesn't matter. The reason this works to help you defeat writer's block is that you are not multitasking. Multitasking over stimulates your brain and that can cause scrambled thinking which contributes to writer's block.

Breaks - The other thing I have found helpful is to take a break. By giving myself permission not to write for an hour, a day a week or even a month, I take the pressure off myself and when I return to my current project I feel refreshed and more inspired to write. The reason for this is that even when I take a break from a project, my unconscious still rumbles along and thinks it through and my stream of unconsciousness has worked on my ideas in the back ground.

The last thought I will leave you with is that, like all things, writer's block will pass. Don't panic, don't beat yourself up, try a few of my tips until you find the one that works best for you. Then you can get back to enjoying your writing.

Val Penny