How to Overcome Writer’s Block

Starring at an empty page is incredibly intimidating. You sit there, pen in your hand, and nothing comes to mind. Then, you immediately spiral into an existential crisis of trying to figure out if you can even call yourself a writer anymore. You, my friend, have writer’s block.

Writer’s block is hard and sometimes overcoming it is harder. I know for the casual writer, writer’s block can last for months. Every time you sit down, you feel like you can’t think of anything. Trust me, every writer has been there. You’re not alone.

Before we go into this, I just want to remind everyone that these are tips that help me and that the things that help you might be different than what works for me. But, I really hope you all can find something that works for you.

Go For a Walk

Usually, I start by trying to clear my head, to go for a breather. I tend to just walk a couple of blocks around my neighborhood and not think about any of my stories. Or, if I have been kind of stressed out recently I’ll actually go to the gym and really try to push myself.

I think the closer to nature you can get, the better you feel. So, if you live near a preserve or something I really suggest walking around there. Try to actually, look at your surroundings, don’t shut it out. I think it’s just incredibly important to think about something else and to not be consumed in a phone for a bit. Let your mind wander and see the world around you.

Read a Book

Sometimes, it better to get outside of your own head and see what other people are thinking of. While I’m not saying to let this influence you, instead read for your own enjoyment. This is another one of those things where you shouldn’t think about your own work when you’re reading through it.

For me, when I get stuck right now, I read American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Normally, I don’t really write about mythology but due to my reading, I’ve been experimenting with more mythology-centered short stories (and if you like mythology, my latest short story, Medusa, is available under the ‘Short Stories’ tab).

Look at Writing Prompts

I won’t lie to you, I love writing prompts. I think one of the hardest parts of how busy most of our lives are is that you use a lot of your mental power on your daily tasks and by the time you’ve gotten home, you’re exhausted. So, I usually try and look at writing prompts to start the ideas. I feel like I need to jump start my mind into that creative headspace.

I really recommend checking out Pinterest, they have some great writing prompts on there. I have a board of writing prompts I like if you need somewhere to start, just click the button below.

Brainstorm Ideas

You may be saying ‘but Rachel, I just told you I have no ideas!’ and I would say ‘yes you do, you just don’t know it yet.’ You, my friend, are a writer. That means that you create world and you create people, you start civilizations and sometimes, you even end them. Yet, you say you have no ideas? Sure you do!

So, how do you brainstorm? One of my favorite things is mind mapping because I kind of love chaos. Essentially, you start with one central idea, say dragons. So, what do you like about dragons? Where do they live? Do these dragons interact with humans? And if so, in what way?

I’m not saying that this is going to lead to a story idea but it does help you to think creatively. It’s a start and I think that it’ll be helpful to those of you who might be stuck in your current WIP or for anyone who needs something new to work on.

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I really hope some of these tips helped you all. I know it’s hard being in a creative rut and it can turn stressful really quick. But, taking some time away from your work can be immensely helpful.

Ready to get back on track with your writing? Check out my post for writing printables here.

If you want to be updated every time I make a post, be sure to subscribe to get an email whenever I post. Until next time, happy writing!

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash