When You Hit Writer’s Block

The nightmare of every writer. The bane of the storyteller: the dreaded writer’s block!

How it Hits

Every author has hit writer’s block at some point in their life. Whether you are writing a novel, a short story, a poem, a song or an essay or history paper for school. No project is too dull, too small or too quick for our irritating friend to make a visit. Sometimes it is a short visit, sometimes a long one…and sometimes it is as if he will never leave!

And this friend takes on many forms. Sometimes it is the form of a brick wall; so long, thick and tall it seems impossible to get around no matter how long or hard you try, and you just end up with a headache at the end of it. Sometimes it is in the form of a blank; no beginning or ending in sight and no idea what to put in the middle. You know you want/need to write something but you have nothing with which to start. Then there is MY most common visitor form: the glass door. Now this one seems like the easiest one to conquer, but let me be the first to tell you that it is the most frustrating AND the hardest to get through. A locked door that allows you to see the faint images on the other side or to catch a glimpse of what comes next, but you can’t get to it. You can’t quite make out what is behind the door, though you have a faint idea, and you have no idea how to get to it. A cruel trick.

Whichever form your writer’s block takes (one of these three or another one) it always comes; and sometimes stays so long that we begin to despair of ever getting rid of it! But don’t lose hope. It may take time, and several different methods, but you will eventually break through that wall or door and fill up that blank space. Then it’s on with the adventure!

When it Hits

I loved participating in National Novel Writing Month. It was a challenge to push my limits and see just how far I could go. And what writer doesn’t want to spend a cold month curled up in their favorite spot with a stash of chocolate, their favorite inspirational music and spending all their spare hours racing against the clock to write the greatest story of all time?!

Ok, so maybe it’s not quite that glorious. Many times my dad came into my room to find me hanging upside down over the back of my chair, trying to keep my brain active, or my mom would hear me groaning with frustration or stress. Every day for thirty days I would stay awake into the late hours of the night, writing for all I was worth, trying to reach the daily word count before I could fall asleep.

It was a race against time. On top of regular daily duties and activities, we had to complete a 50,000 word novel in only 30 days. This meant that there was absolutely no time for a visit, no matter how small, from writer’s block. But that was prime time to strike.

Whenever we are on a deadline, that’s when he loves to come knocking. While we cannot avoid these visits (trust me, I’ve tried), we can be prepared and try to shorten them as much as possible or get him to leave all together. These are just a few of the methods I have used to get through a writer’s block visit, and while they may not all work for you, they are a good place to start…or they might open up some ideas of your own.

While it Hits

Take a break – I don’t know about you, but when I hit writer’s block, the last thing I want to do is step away. I want to sit here and find a solution to the problem. I won’t be chased away from MY project that way. But sometimes the best solution to the problem, the best way to NOT be chased away, IS to step away. Take a day or two to give your brain a rest (it’s been working hard). Do something different (not writing related) to give your brain a new change of pace. We all get worn down doing the same thing all the time. Your break doesn’t have to be forever, and breaks often times lead to the very best solution that you didn’t see when you were working so hard.
New scenery – The scenery around us can hold a ton of inspiration…or is can drain us of it. I liked to surround myself with scenery that related to what I was writing. If I was writing a fantasy novel I would take a walk in the woods, if I was writing Sci Fi I would look at the architecture in the city. If you find yourself stuck where you are sitting, maybe it’s time to get up and go explore somewhere else for a while. Get a new perspective!
Talk and walk it out – I grew up in the country, on a small farm, and one of my favorite ways to get through writer’s block was to act it out in the field or talk it through to the chickens (they couldn’t wander off too far when I was talking, you see). I got some strange looks from my siblings when I would talk to myself or the animals about a scene I was struggling with, or when I hooked my brother into tying me and my sister together and acting out what I had so far so I could figure out what should happen next. It may sound weird and you may get some strange looks or laughs, but it can be a lot of fun…and you will be amazed at what you come up with!
Brain food – Sometimes your brain just needs a little more encouragement. Make sure you are taking care of it and feeding it. I always like to keep a stash of almonds and dark chocolate nearby whenever I am writing. Those are some powerful brain foods. Also try diffusing essential oils to stimulate the brain, such as Rosemary or Peppermint. And drink plenty of water! A dehydrated body is not good on the brain…or anything for that matter.
Visualize – Sometimes getting through writer’s block can be as simple as visualizing yourself physically facing it and defeating it. If you are hitting a brick wall, imagine taking a stick of dynamite to it and blowing it apart. In whatever form you see writer’s block, think of what it would take to destroy it or get around it and then imagine that. This helped a few times when it was just a small visit. This isn’t for the tougher versions.
Push them off a cliff – Sometimes in writing (especially in a story) we can get stuck on little details in the rough draft. “How do they get past this guard?” or “How do they climb down this cliff?” We can get so caught up in trying to get it right the first time that we end up inviting in writer’s block and getting stuck. I did this once when I was in a race against the clock and really didn’t have time to get myself stuck on little details. I will never forget my friend’s advice when she saw me biting my nail as I tried to figure out the perfect solution to my problem: “Just push them off the cliff. You can go back and fix it later, but right now you need to get through.” So I did just that! I literal pushed them off the cliff and continued the story when they landed. When writing the first draft, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Sometimes we just need to push them off the cliff or write something totally ridiculous just to get past our self-inserted writer’s block and continue. And you know what? Most of the time, when you come back to fix a scene later, you have an idea on how to do it!
Stop Trying – We have all heard this one: “Stop trying so hard!” This goes a long with my previous point a little bit. I am a perfectionist and have high standards for myself… and I struggle with this one ALL the time. Trying to make it perfect the first time. Coming up with the perfect solution, just the right string of words. Sometimes we expect an obstacle to be more difficult than it is. Sometimes the answer is right in front of us but we think the obvious would be too easy so we don’t look for it. We can be trying our hardest, doing our best, putting all our strength in it…but no matter how how hard we push at that door, it won’t open because the sign on the front says to “pull”.