For a writer, nothing can be more frustrating than drawing a complete blank. No matter how much you think about where you want to take your story or how you want to build the plot, you continue to stare at a blank page.
Writer’s block can be devastating to the progress of a book or story. I have gotten hit with it in the past and have struggled to overcome it. A lot of writers suffer from writer's block at some point in time and the thought of walking away from a story that seems dead in the water can be tempting; but it’s important that you try to work through your writer’s block in a constructive way. Sometimes setting the manuscript aside, thinking that you just need to take a break from writing, can leave that book collecting dust for months! Believe me, I know!
One of the best ways to overcome writer’s block is to JUST KEEP WRITING! Perhaps you do need to take a short break from your current project to clear your mind and regain focus on where you want to take your story next, but in the meantime, concentrate on writing something else. A short story, a poem, or even a letter to a friend… Keep those juices flowing, just give them another outlet.
An exercise that I find helpful when I need to purge my mind of the muck that is gumming up my literary flow is to find an every day object (one that is around the house or in your office) and start free-flow writing about that object. Begin by describing it in great detail. Then add some of your own flair as a creative writer by giving this object a personality. Put the object in a frame of mind and write about its thoughts, desires, regrets and hopes. Take this object on a short adventure. You may not like what you come up with in the end, but the point is not to create another masterpiece. This is an exercise to work out a few mental knots and loosen up your imagination.
Once you get those creative juices flowing again, you may find that you are ready to take on the rest of the project with which you were previously struggling. Being able to break free from the structure of your work-in-progress with a free-flow writing exercise may also help you find a solution to that dilemma that is holding you up or could even bring about new ideas that could fine tune your original concept.
Hopefully, after a few free-flow writing exercises, the next time you pick up your manuscript, you won’t feel quite as stuck.
Writer’s block can be devastating to the progress of a book or story. I have gotten hit with it in the past and have struggled to overcome it. A lot of writers suffer from writer's block at some point in time and the thought of walking away from a story that seems dead in the water can be tempting; but it’s important that you try to work through your writer’s block in a constructive way. Sometimes setting the manuscript aside, thinking that you just need to take a break from writing, can leave that book collecting dust for months! Believe me, I know!
One of the best ways to overcome writer’s block is to JUST KEEP WRITING! Perhaps you do need to take a short break from your current project to clear your mind and regain focus on where you want to take your story next, but in the meantime, concentrate on writing something else. A short story, a poem, or even a letter to a friend… Keep those juices flowing, just give them another outlet.
An exercise that I find helpful when I need to purge my mind of the muck that is gumming up my literary flow is to find an every day object (one that is around the house or in your office) and start free-flow writing about that object. Begin by describing it in great detail. Then add some of your own flair as a creative writer by giving this object a personality. Put the object in a frame of mind and write about its thoughts, desires, regrets and hopes. Take this object on a short adventure. You may not like what you come up with in the end, but the point is not to create another masterpiece. This is an exercise to work out a few mental knots and loosen up your imagination.
Once you get those creative juices flowing again, you may find that you are ready to take on the rest of the project with which you were previously struggling. Being able to break free from the structure of your work-in-progress with a free-flow writing exercise may also help you find a solution to that dilemma that is holding you up or could even bring about new ideas that could fine tune your original concept.
Hopefully, after a few free-flow writing exercises, the next time you pick up your manuscript, you won’t feel quite as stuck.
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