How To Write Your Way Out of the Grip of Writer’s Block

We’ve all struggled at times with our writing, and wondered not just where the next poem, song or chapter of our novel will come from, but where the next WORD will come from. Or if it would come at all!

Commonly known as writer’s block, it’s easy to demonize this state and give it far more power and influence over your writing - and your ability to write – than it actually has.

Here is an effective 5-step plan to help you write your way out of writer’s block, if you find yourself struggling to write freely again:

1. Stop trying. Whatever you’re doing right now isn’t working. So rather than continue to struggle, simply stop trying. This doesn’t mean give up on writing completely. It simply means saying to yourself you’re going to stop spending time and energy trying to write in a way that’s getting you nowhere, and you’re going to take a different approach instead. You’ve got nothing to lose.
2. Start small. Now that you’ve stopped trying what wasn’t working, it’s time to start a different approach. The key here is to start small. Pick a fun and simple writing project you can do in 15 or 30 minutes. Forget about the outcome and focus on enjoying writing. It can be something as simple as a list of your favorite scents and why you like them, or a recollection of the best night of your life. Enjoy writing about something that's a source of pleasure.
3. Write often. Step 2 got you back in the saddle and writing again. Now that you’ve done that, you can do it again. And again. The secret to writing freely is to write little and often. So set aside a short time each day – say 15 minutes – to just sit down undisturbed and write about something you enjoy, or something that’s on your mind. Every day is the only way to let that creativity flow freely, and today is the best day to start.
4. Build momentum. Writing every day, you steadily build virtually indestructible writing habits. Once you’ve got that regular system in place, you can simply expand the time you spend writing. Extend it to 20, 30, 60 minutes and beyond as you build momentum. You can also begin to take on larger writing projects by breaking them down and writing a part each day.
5. Trust yourself. Now that you’ve got this far, you have in place creative writing habits that will last a lifetime. Trust yourself that you can always come up with creative writing ideas, and always find something to write about, because you can. The more regularly you write, the more you build your trust and self-belief. And the sooner you’ll find yourself saying: “Writer’s block? What’s that?”