Writer’s block
It’s a writer’s disease, isn’t it?
You sit in front of a screen or page and wait for inspiration to arrive.
And, it won’t. Because, it can’t. What happens then is I become demotivated as the failure of the task takes over.
I’ve been reading a couple of articles about this disease. Some you may have heard.
1. Always start your writing or blogging session with a free writing exercise. Use a prompt, there are millions of then on the net, just google “writing prompt”. Write something random and unchecked, write about you like with no break for checking over for grammar or even sense.
2. A paradoxical tip to avoid writer’s block is to write!
Book in the time you write like an appointment. Set a schedule. Maybe, you could try half an hour a night or 300 words a day. Mary E. Pearson, author of The Jenna Fox, young adult novels, says that she commits to 10 words. Inevitably, those 10 words become 20 and hey, they become a page and so on.
3. Give yourself a reward. If you reach your weekly/daily goal, treat yourself to a magazine, cream cake or glass of wine. Whatever you fancy. However, if you don’t finish those 300 words, deprive yourself of something you love…hmm, I hate bad consequences…
4. Remember, why you are writing. Take out those great novels or that bio of your hero. For me, a Stephen King or a Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games trilogy.Actually, forget people or writing that inspires you. If I read through any of the Twilight books or flick through a Cecelia Ahern “novel”, that would probably be enough to get me writing again!!
5. See writing as a mental escape from mental people and situations. If you have a tough, uncreative job, writing can be an excellent way to unwind and escape.
So, there are some thoughts and ideas for you. These tips were gleaned from a writing book by Deborah Halverson and. M.T Anderson.