Tips to beat writer’s block

How many times have you found yourself trapped in a situation when you are looking into avenues to figure out how to get across convincingly, a piece of ‘good content.'

This can be a time of questions bombarding your mind on the lines of ‘what do I say’? ‘How do I put it across’? ‘How should I start’? ‘Which context am I to approach’? and so on.

Writer’s block can be intimidating and frustrating. But the good news here is that this is a temporary and beatable condition.

The following are a few tips that should help you surmount that terrible feeling, when you are staring at a blank piece of paper, and have absolutely no idea as to why you are in this frozen state, of not knowing what to put down.

Warm-Up

Just as an athlete prepares to touch the finish line that seems so far away, loosen up those brain cells by warming up to unleash your writer’s touch.
If you are at your computer, gazing aimlessly at your screen try and exercise your mind by doodling, sketching or maybe even humming your favorite tune. Such activity should get your brain geared up for an outpour of ideas and thoughts.

Get Thinking on Your Own

The reason for writer’s block can be put down to lack of focus, not having the right environment to work in and also distractions that can come in various forms. Put your phone away; make sure that your Facebook notifications are switched off and you on are engaging in something other than being distracted.

Research and Read

Researching and reading is the most sought out way to overcome writer’s block. If you don’t have an idea at all as to where you want to start, just start by researching tips on how to overcome the phenomena of writer’s block itself. If it’s the case where you have finally come up with a topic, the next step that would be ideal is to read articles and blogs that have been written in the same area before. The researched and published content will provide valuable insight that will be means of provoking your thoughts.

Start Visualizing and Create Mind Maps

Saul Bass once said that design is thinking made visual. Start visualizing graphics for the content that you want to create. Say you are writing a blog on social media advertising, you may first want to associate images that can be linked to the sub-topics that you write on. Then start putting together content in the context of the chosen images. You may also seek assistance of a mind map. Start by plotting the main context and then branch out to sub-topics that will outline what you need to convey. This would be a step by step guide for a beneficial way to finally get to writing substantial content.

Try a Different Location

To awaken your creative mojo, an ideal suggestion would be to change the environment you are working in. If you are confined to walls, make sure you move to a more relaxed placed that will help you set your mind free and help you become more imaginative. The change will help you think clearer, and the relaxed environment will relieve tension to provide deeper insight to your thought process.

Listen to Music

According to the Journal of Consumer Research Vol. 39, No. 4 (December 2012) a moderate noise level is the sweet spot for creativity. This is known to promote abstract processing that stimulates high creativity levels. As music also relieves tension levels, listening to a mellow tune can probably also be mitigating one of the causes of writer’s block. Classical, Jazz and music with a slow flow can be the remedial prescription in this case.

Create a Timeline

A Timeline is a fine scale to monitor your progress and to ensure you achieve a set task within a stipulated timeframe. This is an ideal tool to assess progress, of how far you have reached and to gauge how far you need to go. To have an overall idea of your progress and to keep you in check (especially if it is a project or an assignment you are working on) sketch out a timeline to be on track.

Talk to a Friend/Colleague

Asking a close acquaintance to help you bounce off ideas can be a great way to look at other possibilities and to create various perspectives on what to write on. This would not only help you exchange ideas but will also help to enhance your interpersonal skills with one another.

Just Write

Once you have finally explored all possibilities on how to overcome this freeze, generate momentum by just writing. Start with a few lines and in no time you would realize that you are doing what at one point seemed impossible.  The written content doesn’t necessarily have to make sense at first; however you may revisit your draft and then rearrange content and tweak the article to fit the chosen topic.

So don’t wait for that auspicious time when you ‘think’ you have finally overcome a writer’s block. Try out the suggested tips and you’ll be a happy overcomer! Anne Tyler once said, “If I waited till I felt like writing, I’d never write at all.”