How to Overcome Writer's Block

 

How do you overcome writer's block? Writer's block is every writer's nightmare. You sit down to write only to discover nothing is forthcoming. You rack and rack your brain to no avail. Worry no more. I've got some tips that will take away this nightmare called "Writer's block".

To overcome writer's block, you need to identify the causes.

What Are the Causes of Writer's Block?

1. Inconsistency in writing and reading.
2. Lack of knowledge in the field you intend to write on.
3. Lack of adequate words/vocabulary to express the subject matter.
4. Lack of creativity.

How to overcome writer's block

Be consistent in writing and reading

Waiting till you have a job to write or publish something is a bad habit. Farmers don't wait till harvest time before they plant. You need to be consistent in writing and reading. Someone would ask, "How do I get topics to write on?"

Keep a notepad (soft or hardcopy)

When an idea or a topic strikes your mind, write it down and build on it later. It can be a word, a phrase, a sight anything that catches your fancy at that point. If you do not write them down you might forget. Don't just note them. Go back and expound on them later.

Read other people's work and write your own ideas on the topic

For example, a writer writes about "the sun's beauty", how the sun is so beautiful and gives light to all. You can decide to write about the same sun in another way, like "someone's sun is set", telling of how the success of something, someone, or a situation has ended. It is still the same "sun" idea.

Do a writing/reading challenge

You can set goals. For instance: thirty days writing/reading challenge on selected or random topics. The challenge could be reading at least two chapters a day or writing at least five hundred words a day for the stipulated period of time. However you wish to do it, make it feasible. Get an accountability partner if need be. Be disciplined. When you do these consistently, you are building your writing skills.

Gather knowledge in the field you intend to write on

Little or no idea about the topic or field you are writing on gives you writer's block. Make some research on the topic and familiarize yourself with it. Be open to learning and unlearning. Do not be rigid.

Learn new words and vocabulary to express the topic

In linguistics, there is the term "register". It is language used in a particular context. There is a register for whatever field your topic falls into. Limitation in the vocabulary of that field causes a block. Throw off some of your limitations by learning new words and vocabulary.

Be creative

Trying not to make mistakes or not trying out new things will give you a block. You need to be creative. In a bid to be creative, you will definitely make mistakes. And that's OK. Learn from your mistakes and bring out the best. As a story writer, you can not afford to be boring. Play with words. Use your poetic license to write unique and beautiful stories.

Try all these out and say bye to writer's block.

 

Ajimuda Evelyn Temitayo is a writer, poet and blogger. She is a creative who brings imaginations alive.

 

8 Tested Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block

 

Ah, the old enemy. Writer’s block can happen to anybody no matter how good a writer you are. From writers like Malcolm Gladwell to writers like the author of “Nkechi the bush girl.” Not just authors but musicians, speech writers or anyone who deals with content. So, what do you do when you feel like you don’t have a creative bone in your body and everything you pen down finds a home in your trash bin?

Frist, Writer’s block can be caused by timing. Sometimes your ideas need a little more time to get fleshed out before they are penned down.

It can also be caused by Fear. Some writers fail before they even fail. They are so scared of penning down their ideas and showing the world to critic.

The third reason is perfectionism. Many people want their ideas to be perfect in their head before penning it down and when this doesn’t happen, they fail to write. Truth is, perfection comes during the process of writing and not before.

Now, there is no formulaic fix to this problem as different tricks work for different people. You simply have to find something that works for you (which might not work the next time you try it so you have to think up something else again). Here are some creative and practical solutions to Writer’s Block.

1. Go for walk to take your mind off the work a bit. View the scenery and it will help you relax.
2. Eliminate as much distractions as possible. Sometimes, the problem is that the creative space in our head is being occupied by pictures from Instagram.
3. Play a game. Chess will do, or a word game.
4. Change your environment. Sometimes it might just be your village people…ok, seriously, it might just be that the environment isn’t conducive enough for you to be creative.
5. Read a book. This does wonders!
6. Listen to music. This also works wonders!
7. Spend time with someone that makes you feel good. A friend, family member or partner will do.
8. Brainstorm ideas in bullet points. These ideas might look stupid at first but if you drop your book and take a second look later, you might be able to build something around them

If all these still don’t work, then you should probably call us to do the writing for you.

But note that you do not overcome writers block by refusing to write and waiting for “inspiration” to come. Also, do not wallow in self-pity and make excuses to procrastinate. Also, watching TV is a bad idea! And you do not overcome writer’s block by reading articles on how to overcome writer’s block…oops.

Samuel Ejedegba