How To Beat Writer’s Block For Good

Not being able to write as freely as you know you can--sitting staring at the page wondering where the next coherent sentence is going to come from--is a state most writers dread.

Writer’s block, we’re told, can hit us at any time and last for a few moments, or a few years. But you needn’t be at the mercy of this condition. There are many ways to beat writer’s block, and like many things, preventing it happening in the first place is better and easier than struggling in the grip of it time and time again.

Here are 5 steps to avoiding writer’s block – and beating it for good:

1. Have an abundant supply of ideas. One of the major reasons for feeling stuck with your writing is feeling you don’t have any good ideas. Ideas are the starting point for every new piece of writing, so having an abundant supply is essential. One of the best approaches is to get yourself an Ideas Journal, a simple notebook you can carry with you wherever you go and capture those ideas when they come to you. The more you get into this habit of using your Ideas Journal, the more ideas will flow to you.
2. Write each and every day. This is the core habit for consistency in your creative writing. When you write for at least 15 minutes each and every day, you send a strong message to your creativity that it’s allowed – in fact encouraged – to come out and play. Start with 15 minutes at the same time each day, and make that commitment to sit down and write whatever comes to you. Within a few weeks you’ll have a writing habit in place that’ll be the key to writing anything you want.
3. Believe in yourself. What do you REALLY believe about your creative writing abilities? Your beliefs are the ceiling to what you can achieve with your writing, and if deep down you believe you have little talent or that you can’t write consistently or that you’ll always be a slave to writer’s block, then that’s what’ll happen. Spend time writing down all of your limiting beliefs, and then turn each one around into its positive opposite.
4. Experiment with different writing techniques. Keeping yourself interested and motivated in writing is important in avoiding writer’s block. If you write exactly the same kind of words and sentences time and time again, how creative are you really being? Experiment with different writing styles and techniques, try out some writing prompts and exercises and see where they lead you. Most importantly, have fun and write what you enjoy writing, not what you think you SHOULD be writing.
5. Review and adjust. Staying aware of how you’re progressing in your creative writing is important, and means if you do feel you’re struggling a little to write, you can notice earlier and take action. Also, review and adjust each of the tips above, and feel free to make any small changes that make each tip more effective for you. We all have our unique writing styles and routines--review and adjust until you find what works best for you.

Follow these 5 steps and you’ll avoid the dreaded writer’s block in your creative writing life.