5 Actions for Defeating Writer’s Block
Writing is like breathing for the online marketer. We depend on writing to communicate and to create and sell our products and services. Without writing we’d be lost!
But have you ever sat down to write… and the words just don’t come?
With sarcasm Ernest Hemingway wrote, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” But when writer’s block hits, we could add, “But you can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip!”
No doubt, writer’s block happens at times to all who wish to write. At some point or another, our brains become filled with an impenetrable fog. Or we experience a mental traffic jam up there that stops our writing in its tracks. Or perhaps something has us so distracted that we’re helpless to concentrate. Martha Grimes, a prolific mystery writer admits, “I’m constantly battling writer’s block.”
But to help clarify the primary issue behind writer’s block, Ray Edwards comments, “Writing is the doing part of thinking.” He’s right! The real problem behind writer’s block is not the inability to write, but to think and to translate our thoughts into the written word.
The following five actions stimulate our thinking, so we can get to the doing part of thinking — writing:
1. Engage the help of others.
I’m not necessarily talking about anything formal here. Engaging the help of others may be as simple as walking into the next room and asking your spouse or co-worker some simple, open-ended questions: “I’m writing a blog on the topic of writer’s block. What do you think about that topic? Have you ever experienced writer’s block? What do you do to get past it? How prevalent do you think it is?”
Chances are, after just a few minutes of stimulating discussion, the writer’s block will crumble and you’ll be typing away on your blog!
2. Step away and do something significantly different.
Sometimes we just need a fresh start, a new perspective, and a clear head. Go for a walk, run, hike, or bike ride. Get out into nature and let the beauty of the out-of-doors inspire you. Mull your topic over in your mind as you go.
If you don’t have that much time, take out the trash, load the dishwasher, or tidy your work area. Do something totally different to clear your head and take your mind off your writing for a few minutes. But do something productive instead of numbing the mind with television. Then, go back to your writing and let the words flow from you.
3. Mindmap your topic.
Mindmapping is simply a personal form of brainstorming. Take a blank sheet of paper. If your paper is lined, turn it sideways to prevent you from thinking in a linear fashion. Write your topic in the center of the page and circle it. Now start brainstorming everything you can think of about that topic. Consider all aspects of the topic.
If you like, engage the help of others as you mindmap. Often, within just minutes of mindmapping, I’ll have the guts for the basis of an outline for whatever it is that I’m writing.
4. Deal with preoccupations.
As we’ve already pointed out, writer’s block is really mind block. Something is blocking our thought process. Quite often, some other issue is looming over us occupying our mind. Whatever the issue is, it is so consuming that we cannot seem to shove it aside.
So, the best remedy for such preoccupations is to take care of them. Get them out of the way, so you can proceed with your writing. These preoccupations could be something dumb like, you forgot to feed the dog this morning; or, you were supposed to call your mother. But sometimes the thoughts that dominate our minds are of greater importance. Perhaps you had a fight with your spouse or friend last night that hasn’t been resolved.
Whatever the preoccupation, either deal with it to get it off your mind or assign it to a task list so you know you won’t forget it.
5. Read or research.
Reading something else pertaining to the topic on which you want to write is one of the best ways to defeat writer’s block. In this case, what you’re experiencing is probably more like writer’s “void” than writer’s “block.” You want to fill that void with substance to help stimulate your writing. Reading or researching what others have written on the topic is sure to move you forward in your writing.
Writer’s block is a common problem that nearly all writers experience. But it’s not so much an inability to write as it is an inability to think or generate creative thoughts. To avoid or defeat writer’s block, implement one or more of the above actions and your thoughts will be coming so fast that your fingers can’t keep up!
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