Ways To Deal With Writer's Block

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There are times when writer's lose their creative momentum and it seems like we wouldn't recognize a novel idea if it stuck out in front of us. It is most important to remember that writer's block is only temporary - an 'incubation period' of sorts. Sometimes, the mind just needs time to process what has already been written before it can move on. In fact, hitting a blind spot in your writing may be a sign that you need to put your writing project aside for a while and not try to force yourself to write. But how can you tell if and when this 'incubation period' has gone on too long? Well, you will know. Rather than feeling like you must get some writing done because of deadlines you set for yourself, you will once again get that creative nudge. You will feel refreshed and anxious to get going. However, if this doesn't seem to be happening and you just can't shake writer's block, you may need to think about why you're in this state and what you can do to get out of it. Often, we are just too wrapped up in other things - people around us, stress related issues, life in general or even problems with what has already been written. The good news is that there are ways to get your creative juices going again. Here are a few suggestions. 1) Think about why you are blocked. Has your story line gone off into left field? Has one of your characters become much more important than another? Perhaps you need to go back and make some changes. Perhaps your story has just become dull and dry. Is it time to pull out that Thesaurus to liven it up? Maybe, your story has gone awry and just doesn't make sense. If this is the case, you will need to do some serious chopping, editing and/or re-writing, which can be painful. If you find this aspect of writing too difficult, you might consider calling in a professional editor or even a co-writer to get the story going again. Brainstorming of both old and new ideas can revive the creative spark that may be missing. Whatever the problem, try to maintain a positive attitude about yourself and your book, no matter how difficult the writing may get at times. 2) Life and its many challenges often get in the way of the creative writing process. If your life is already fast-paced with little time for leisure, it's unlikely that you will be successful at writing a book. You need to ensure that your environment is conducive to your success. If there is someone or something in your life causing you stress, it will greatly influence your ability to write. Depending upon how committed you are to writing, you may have to reconsider those things and make some changes in your life. You need a quiet, relaxed and stess-free environment in which to write. Set up your 'space' in such a way that you will not be distracted. Don't try writing with the television or radio on, or when children are running in and out. If you are a parent, wait until the little ones go for a nap or to bed. Any kind of noise or distraction while writing will make the process more difficult, rather than being an inspiring and rewarding pursuit. 3) If you have writer's block, you may have to center yourself. Such things as meditating, going for a walk or just bouncing ideas off a friend may help. If you are not mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically at ease, you're bound to have problems expressing yourself through writing. As mentioned, meditation can provide amazing benefits to mind, body and soul. You can also use meditation to 'imagine' your characters in more detail, work out the various plot lines and even come up with new ideas. I cannot stress enough how much meditation can help you if you make it a regular habit. 4) Writer's block is certainly no picnic, but there are also some fun exercises you can do to get your imagination rolling again. Do you remember the great 1900s French writer, Marcel Proust? He is well known for his novel Remembrance of Things Past. Well, he used a style of writing called 'stream of consciousness' to get motivated. Using this method, Proust would pick a simple topic and just let his feelings on it flow. In fact, he once wrote 30 pages to describe the simple act of rolling over in bed! The theory behind Proust's 'stream of consciousness' writing was to just free the mind from any rules of writing or particular desire to be brilliant, so it can let new ideas stream forth. There is no inner critic to dampen your creative work. Thoughts are just unleashed and written out as they come into your consciousness. Other exercised that may be helpful include choosing one of the following and writing for ten minutes: a) Begin your story with a nursery rhyme and take it from there. b) Write about the color of your heart. c) Write about a special place from your childhood. d) Write about a specific picture from your photo album. e) Write from the perspective of an inanimate object. f) Write on how you would persuade someone to buy something of value that you own. g) Explain what it would feel like to drown. h) Use the words pineapple, pillow, fuzzy, celebration all in one article. Choose other words at random from your dictionary and do the same. i) Write about a habit you can't seem to break. j) Begin a story with: There once was a chance I didn't take. k) Begin with the storyline of waking up, looking in the mirror and not seeing your own face. As you can see, there are various methods to tackle the problem of writer's block. No matter what you try, remember the words of Thomas Edison as well: "If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves!" As a last ditch effort, you can also hire a professional creativity coach, who will analyze your particular situation and work with you to find solutions that can get you back on the happy track of writing freely again. A coach can help you determine which approaches you should take for your specific situation. One site that offers this services is: http://www.creativitycoachingassociation.com. I have never used this, so I don't know what cost this might involved. Remember that if one method doesn't work, another just might. Don't give up and keep writing!