writer’s block

noun

a usually temporary condition in which a writer finds it impossible to proceed with the writing of a novel, play, or other work.

writer’s block

noun

an inability to write; “he had writer’s block; the words wouldn’t come”

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We’ve all been there at some point in our writing career. The moment when you sit in front of your computer or notepad and stare aimlessly as if you’re waiting for words to appear magically in front of you and create a story on their own. Wouldn’t that be nice?

I think every writer handles it in a different way. I’m going to give you the steps that I took in order to help me, once again, put my story to paper and quickly transition out of writers block and into writer’s flow.

It’s happened to me twice in my writing career. I felt lost. After all, how could I, a writer/author by career, have nothing to say? Worse, how could I have no thoughts whatsoever when at some point, I [image error]was spilling words all over the page? That realization alone made my writer’s block worse. I had no choice but to take action.  

Here are the steps I took.

Clear your mind: No matter what, we all have other things on our mind. Whether it’s school work, our day job, our family, our kids, money, or lack thereof and/or bills, we might not know the source of the virus that has stopped the flow of our writing, but if we take a moment to think about it, I bet we’ll figure it out. Find the source and deal with it first, or at least acknowledge it and deal with it later.

Bond with your characters: Take 15 minutes to sit back in a quiet area, close your eyes and picture your characters. Put yourself in the story. If you can’t picture yourself living it, how can you write it? Breathe deep and relax your body while you take those few moments with them. Let’s call it bonding time. Let them stir an emotion in you. Whether you spend that 15 minutes with the hero or the villain, let your character stir an emotion in you that gives you the thriving desire to write.

The following is the last thing I did, which put me back on track and I believe is the most influential of them all.

Write a loose outline: Whether you’re a panster or plotter this particular moment will get you back on track and move you forward with your story. So what do I mean? If you’re a panster, you should sit down and write out a loose outline for the next five paragraphs. Bullet points with one sentence that will drive your mind back into the story. A list of directions, if you will.

If you get lost on the road, often times, you will stop to ask for directions or throw in the final [image error]destination into your navigator. The navigator will put you back on track, but once on track, you can choose to stay the course or navigate away from it again. Same with an outline. Make it a loose outline just to give you the confidence to get back on track.

If you already outline your work, then revisit it. Maybe it’s time to revamp by throwing your final destination back into the navigator. Maybe you veered off course at some point, and now you need to jump back on at a different location.

Make it simple. A loose outline for five paragraphs and you’ll have written enough to spark your creativity to take the controls of your story again and allow you to free up that bout of writer’s block that has utterly numbed your mind.

Here we go… get back at your computer/notepad and start writing.

April M. Reign

Photo credit:

Image credit: pooterjon / 123RF Stock Photo

Image credit: pooterjon / 123RF Stock Photo

Image credit: pooterjon / 123RF Stock Photo