media update’s Jenna Cook finds out what it takes to overcome the inevitable pause of creative flow known as ‘writer's block’.
Writer’s block is familiar territory for many a journalist, author or proverbial ‘wordsmith’. This block can strike at any moment. And there’s no sign of how long it’ll last. Luckily, there are a few things – some a little unconventional (and no, copious amounts of caffeine is not on the agenda) – you can do to cure your word drought.
Here are 10 ways to help you throw writer’s block out the window:
1. Find a topic that inspires you
Writing is tricky business. And so is finding inspiration. However, it’s much easier to find inspiration when you are passionate about your topic.
Kurt Vonnegut, author of the best-selling and classic novel
Slaughterhouse-Five, had this to say: “Find a subject you care about and which you, in your heart, feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, that will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.”
If you can find something that you are genuinely concerned about, inspiration will never be too far away. Also, the way in which you write will show that you care about the topic.
2. Try to write from multiple perspectives
When you’re stuck on how to pen something down in a way that’s true to your style, why not try someone else’s? Writing from different viewpoints will help you take a step back from your personal block and view the topic in a new light.
In her article,
A different perspective, Erica V says, “Writing from someone else’s point of view is an excellent writing exercise that helps you refine your word selection and stretch your imagination. When writing in someone else’s voice, the process is no longer automatic. Instead, you first need to ‘become’ that person, and then write.”
You’ll learn to not only make use of new tones and styles, but also expand your ability to write in spite of your own ideas or block.
3. Write from personal experience
Your life and the way you have lived it is completely unique. This means that on any given topic or theme, your view is enriched and deepened by your experience. Drawing inspiration from your personal life will help you to write the most authentic, and often valuable, work.
In an interview with
The Creative Penn, author
T.J. Cooke says, “I can see how certain memories sparked the creative process. These range from individual moments to sweeping themes. Don’t be afraid to look back into [your] childhood for inspiration. The source material is invaluable.”
Writing from your personal experiences may be daunting at first, but it is a great way to incorporate some real emotion in your work. Also, as you’re writing from your memories and emotions, you’ll be able to tap into the part of you that wanted to become a writer in the first place.
4. Write with offline influence
Writers haven’t always had access to the same channels of information that are available today. (A world without the Internet? No thank you.) The physical world plays host to so much information and inspiration that is just not available online – for now.
In his article Let’s not lose our minds, Carl Zimmer suggests, “Do as much research as possible away from the Internet? – with living people, in real places.”
You’ve probably seen the Eiffel Tower in Paris from the comfort of your home. You know what it looks like, what it’s made of, what the grounds around it consist of.
But unless you’ve actually been to Paris, it doesn’t mean you’ve experienced it. There is so much detail that can't be captured on the Internet. So making sure that you do your own research will certainly be more inspiring than reading the experiences of other writers.
5. Set yourself a deadline
Working in a creative industry means that you’re no stranger to tight deadlines. And perhaps you’ve had to produce work even when you haven’t been inspired.
“If you only write when you’re inspired, you may be a fairly decent poet, but you’ll never be a novelist because you’re going to have to make your word count today, and those words aren’t going to wait for you – whether you’re inspired or not,” says, author
Neil Gaiman.
Has it ever happened that when you’re pressed for time you produce your best work? In some cases, deadlines
actually create creativity. So try setting up deadlines for yourself, and be dedicated in meeting them. Not only will this push you to produce content, but it will also give you an indication of what your limits are.
6. Start with one goal in mind
When all you have is a blank page – or screen – in front of you, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It may even be a little bit daunting. How are you going to turn all the crazy ideas you have in your head into something that makes sense? So giving yourself a little bit of direction is not a bad place to start.
“One of the best pieces of writing advice I ever got was to – before I started the process – articulate the idea in one sentence, one paragraph and one page. This crystallises the idea for you and guides you on your way,” says Ryan Holiday in his article,
So you want to write a book? Writing with one main idea in mind is the best way to ensure that you don’t spread your message too thin and lose some of its potency in the process.
7. Make the most of your frustration
When you’re stuck because you don’t have any ideas, try exploring how you’re feeling. Perhaps you’re frustrated, angry or even disappointed. (Maybe someone ate those leftovers you were really looking forward to and that’s why you’re stuck in this spot). Put those feelings to paper. Writing down how you feel is a good way for you to work through the block.
Gaby Dunn, journalist at
The New York Times, shares her experience: “At one point with my family, I complained, ‘I bet I could think of 100 stories I could have written for them if they had only let me!’ And my dad said, ‘Well, why don’t you write those down?’”
“So I did. I stayed up the whole night writing ideas of people I wanted to meet in a notebook on the floor. I realised that I didn’t need to sit around and wait to get hired by a big newspaper.”
“The Internet is completely free – I could just start a blog and write the stories that I wanted. I decided to make this a journalism project, with deadlines and goals. It would be more than just a blog about me.”
Even if you’re only writing about how you’re feeling, you’re writing. It is a great way to keep in practice. It may even turn into a passion project that you never even knew you wanted to work on.
8. Write in new environments
Your frame of reference is often pinned heavily on where you are and where you have been. Literally, your physical environment can influence the way you think. This is why seeing new places can offer you different experiences – ones that no amount of research can match.
“During the four years of writing, I was living in the United States as a stranger. That ‘strangeness’ was always following me like a shadow and it did the same to the protagonist of the novel. Come to think of it, if I wrote it in Japan, it might have become a very different book,” says
Haruki Murakami, author of
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
The point is that a new environment will inspire new thoughts, ideas and perspectives. Taking a trip to somewhere new – anywhere from visiting that dream destination to trying a different coffee shop or grocery store – can breed fresh ideas.
9. Write by creating a ritual
You may find that your best writing takes place when you and your surroundings are conducive to creativity. And what works for you may be completely foreign to a fellow writer.
Toni Morrison, novelist and
Pulitzer Prize winner, says “At first [I] thought I didn’t have a ritual, but then I remembered that I always get up and make a cup of coffee while it is still dark – it must be dark – and then I drink the coffee and watch the light come. And I realised that, for me, this ritual comprises my preparation to enter a space [where I am mentally prepared to write].”
Drinking a freshly brewed cup of coffee and watching the light come in may not be the key to your inner writing genius. (Who wants to get up early enough to see first light when you can sleep in?) So ask yourself what
you need to do in order to release your imagination.
10. Write with different tools
You likely have a preferred way of getting all your ideas across. Maybe you’re a traditionalist who enjoys the age old pen-to-paper method or your handwriting requires you to type up all of your thoughts. Whatever it is, it may be time to give this method a break.
Author and two-time winner of the
Pulitzer Prize,
David McCullough, had this to say: ”I write on an old
Royal typewriter – a beauty! I bought it second hand in 1964, and I’ve written all my books on it. It was made about 1941 and it works perfectly. I have it cleaned and oiled about once every book and the roller has to be replaced now and then.”
The point is, challenging yourself to a new or unconventional writing method – for example, the typewriter – is an awesome way to see how your writing can be adapted to different mediums. And maybe by choosing a new medium you’ll even be inspired to take on a new perspective.
Artificial Intelligence is making the journalism industry more efficient and productive. This raises the question, Are robot-writers the new face of journalism?
*Image courtesy of
Vecteezy