Dealing with writer's block.
You have been staring at your laptop for minutes, you don't know what to write, you can't write, you can't even write a single letter. You are struggling so hard to , but you can't just seem to put down something.
You are surrounded by dozens of crumpled paper, and in an hour you might be buried in it, or maybe half an hour. You keep grasping your pen ready to write , but your brain isn't ready to write.
You keep on typing or writing with your pen, the same , phrase,clause, sentence , but you can't seem to get it right.
You can't seem to find the right word to use. You keep thinking and thinking, but you can't seem to find another word for your description, or you can't just find the right words to describe what you are writing in your story.
You haven't written for weeks but you can't just write! You keep picking up your writing materials but nothing is forthcoming.
Arghhhh… A writer's block can be so frustrating!
Okay… Bookish Sadie is going to talk about Writer's block today.
So… What is a Writer's Block Anyway?
I checked the dictionary and here is what I found: The inability to begin or continue work on a piece of writing; normally temporary.
So now you know, in case you might have had a writer's block and didn't know what it was.
The definition says, "normally temporary" but what if it isn't. A writer's block could last the rest of one's life, like the old man in the Hollywood movie , The Words. But that would be really really sad.
A writer's block is sometimes treated as a psychological condition and well sometimes it is not. Some people believe it is just a temporary stuff that just happens, some believe it is "all in the writer's head" and a push or jolt would help.
What Causes Writer's Block?
Self Doubt / Self Criticism: All writers, almost all writers might have suffered from self doubt one way or the other, I will make a post soon talking about Self doubt as a writer smd how you can deal with it. We sometimes over criticize our work, sometimes we don't just have enough confidence in what we have written, we constantly beat ourselves. This happens to me quite often, but in recent times , I have been able to overcome it. We keep questioning ourselves if we are good enough or not. So we lose interest, or we become afraid to write.
Zero or No Motivation: As a writer you can have motivation, internally and externally.
Sometimes we need affirmation from someone else, praise, compliments, sometimes we need friends ,family, members of our writing community, to tell us that we write so well. And when it is absent, it could impair our writing.
Sometimes the zeal and desire to write and tell our stories is absent.
Another thing is, Stress and lack of sleep, I am a "night owl". I am always awake at night doing reasonable and unreasonable stuff.
But sometimes it gets too much for me and I have to take a nap before I get started at writing for the day.
Also whenever I am stressed outstanding ,either from writing or from other stuff like domestic chores, I find it hard to concentrate.
Another reason could be , "over -writing".
Solution!
Ways To Deal with Writer's Block!
You can use imperfect words! Don't stress too much, use simple phrases and words. You can go over it later on.
Take a break , do other stuff like reading, baking, cooking, taking a walk and going to the movies.
Switch! If you can't write at the beginning, write somewhere else. You could start at the middle or a certain chapter you are sure of.
If your character isn't well developed then you will have a hard time writing. Because you don't know what your character wants, does, will do etcetera. You can read about Character development here
Change your writing environment, you can start writing in your garden instead of your office. In your bathroom (lol) instead of on your dinning.
I don't know if it works for everyone, it probably doesn't. But Music can help you loosen up, pop, hip hop, your favorites.
Change your writing tool, if you have been using Word Processor you could switch to Google docs, or you could start writing on paper.
Write other things. When I have a writer's block, I stop focusing on my current wip and write short stories and yeah… my blog posts and other blogs that I work for. You don't have to have a writer's block before you write other things. You should constantly exercise your creative muscles. This way you will not have writer's block too often.
Outline! Outlining is very very helpful. Outline each event chapter by chapter, part by part. So instead of just writing blindly, you know where you are going and what to write next, this will help prevent writer's block a lot.
Find the root of your writer's block. And deal with it.
Taking creative writing classes. Sometimes, it might not be just a writer's block. Maybe you need guidance ,fresh sight and view.
Go on a social media hiatus. That way you won't be distracted anymore. You will be more focused.
Money will make you focused!! If you live on writing and you've got bills to pay, and you're short of money to pay them. The thought of being broke can make you focus.
Read what you have read. It will help you. You will see and but be able to appreciate what you have written.
Have a disciplined writing routine. I make sure I write everyday. I used to write only when I felt inspired to. But writing that way will only make you prone to writer's block. Develop a routine for yourself. When your body gets used to that routine, you will be able to write better.
Read your favourite book.
Remind yourself of why you love writing.
I hope these tips were helpful.
Good luck
Bookish Sadie
;-)
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