Nancy Schumann
The best way to tackle writer's block is to write. I know that sounds counter-intuitive but it works in the same way as gentle exercise helps to relax aching muscles.
Somebody ones said in response to this question that writer's block is the adult's version of 'the dog ate my homework' (sorry, I forgot who said that) and that is pretty much true. As a writer, you can write anything. Writer's block just means that the perfect word, the perfect phrase, isn't there yet. That doesn't matter. You know what you want to say so just write it down. You file on the details later. Maybe the perfect word will come to you when you re-read and edit your text. That's what edits are for. Don't wait for the perfect word before you write. You'll never be able to finish anything that way.
And if you don't know where a particular story is going at some point go away and write something else. Work on that essay that's not due for another three months, write a short story about the bird that sat on the balcony that morning, even write a shopping list. Just write. That's your job as a writer. That's what you do. That's what you're good at. When you do what you're good at the story will take care of itself. It'll tell you where the words need to go if you just start writing.
I do my best crime stories when I work on vampire fiction and vice versa. Yes, writing not the story you're supposed to be working on is a kind of displacement activity but it's effective displacement activity. You're still writing a story. And in the end you may have two rather than none, which may happen if you play the writer's block card and stop writing.
Somebody ones said in response to this question that writer's block is the adult's version of 'the dog ate my homework' (sorry, I forgot who said that) and that is pretty much true. As a writer, you can write anything. Writer's block just means that the perfect word, the perfect phrase, isn't there yet. That doesn't matter. You know what you want to say so just write it down. You file on the details later. Maybe the perfect word will come to you when you re-read and edit your text. That's what edits are for. Don't wait for the perfect word before you write. You'll never be able to finish anything that way.
And if you don't know where a particular story is going at some point go away and write something else. Work on that essay that's not due for another three months, write a short story about the bird that sat on the balcony that morning, even write a shopping list. Just write. That's your job as a writer. That's what you do. That's what you're good at. When you do what you're good at the story will take care of itself. It'll tell you where the words need to go if you just start writing.
I do my best crime stories when I work on vampire fiction and vice versa. Yes, writing not the story you're supposed to be working on is a kind of displacement activity but it's effective displacement activity. You're still writing a story. And in the end you may have two rather than none, which may happen if you play the writer's block card and stop writing.
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