7 Tricks to Overcome Writer’s Block

Try vintage for better experience, Mr. Procastinator! - Pixabay.com

So you’re a writer; A pitiful little writer who wants to change the literary world through pen and paper. You have this ridiculous dream, calling a press conference, dropping a few hints about the fate of your characters that deal with incest, honor, betrayal, and budget cuts for the next season of your book’s TV series adaptation.

So you’re sitting in front of your computer. Your eyes are burning with passion. Embers of hope are coming out of your blazing bosom. You’re ready to write. You are so ready to write.

Then, a couple of hours pass, and you’re still staring at a blank Scrivener doc.

Writer’s block is difficult to overcome, especially for the budding writers. Hell, even the famous authors tend to suffer from this crap (cue the Game of Thrones opening music). So, here lies one simple question - how to deal with this sumbitch?

7. Give yourself a break

Pictured above: Jimmy taking a break from his writing career - Pixabay.com

“B-B-But… most of the time, when I am giving myself a break, I lose my writer’s-erection.” Do this if you think you are hopelessly stuck. I realized that I am wasting a lot more time during these blank moments when I’m forcing myself to write instead of taking a break and doing other stuff. Don’t be too harsh on yourself and rest your head for a while. The purpose of taking a break is to rest your mind and let it reorganize your thoughts.

6. Avoid Distractions

Neil, the creator of Navy Seal copypasta, finally decided to use pen & paper when writing to prevent himself from wasting more time on Youtube comments - Pixabay.com

A lot of people say that writer’s block is another term for procrastination. That is partially correct. One of the common reasons that trigger this behavior is the fuckton of distractions lying around. Block your internet access if you think you waste too much time on YouTube comments section, picking up fights with internet strangers instead of actually writing something. Another way to minimize distractions is to ask the people around not to disturb you whenever you are writing. Not only it can get your blog post done on time, or improve the word count of your WIP novel; it can also improve the quality of your work because you are focused.

PS: Once you ctrl+shift+n, there’s no going back. Think about it.

5. Freewriting

Susan consults her Smartphone's dictionary to spell the word "Necessary" without the help of auto-correct - Pixabay.com

This is one of the great tips I got from the good fellows of NaNoWriMo. Just write down anything that comes into your mind for a couple of minutes. Just keep writing even if it is a total crap. Just keep writing until you translate those unwanted sexual urges whenever you hear the word ‘plethora’ into words. The important part here is to let your brain vent out the thoughts inside it. Once the unnecessary thoughts have finally found their way out from your system, it will be easier to think.

4. Set up a penalty-reward system

William satiating his burger fetish after accomplishing the 300-word article for his blog - Pixabay.com

Setting up a fair reward and penalty system to yourself is also a surefire way to boost your writing performance. Tell yourself that you can only switch to incognito mode if you finish the article on time. Also, to make it more interesting, set up a punishment when you fail to get the job done like watching a Scarlett Johansson GIF while wearing a steel underwear. Remember, Diamonds are made under pressure.

3. Make an outline

Pictured above: A writer creating an outline for his article about memes - Pixabay.com

The most commonly ignored problem in article writing, is a proper direction. To avoid getting stuck in the middle of an article, consider planning it first. What should come first? What is the main thought of this paragraph? What are the supporting details of this subject? What would be a proper conclusion for it? This technique can help a lot because it gives you an official path. Whenever you are lost, just refer to your outline so you can have a clue what to write next. It’s like Google Search; if you just type “Mia Khalifa n,” it will show you the rest.

2. Keep a pocket notebook with you all the time

As a bonus, you can draw boobs anytime you want - Pixabay.com

Our brain is ridiculous. Whenever we want to write, we usually end up running out of nice things to say. But whenever we’re out there, doing other important stuff like earning money, picking your nose, and searching for sexy pictures of Danny Devito, we unintentionally think of a lot of great things to write like an endless stream of awesome. To remedy this, consider bringing a pen and paper (or a notepad in your phone) with you wherever you go. That way, you can save them for later.