How Do You Overcome Writer's Block?

Summary: There are many ways to overcome writer's block. Some of my friends share their expert advice in this blog post. How does it work for you?

Whether it's the briefest of thank-you cards or the longest of essays—or any written piece in between—you can be stricken and stuck by the most dreaded of all terrors: WRITER'S BLOCK. And when you are ... what do you do about it?

Here are your options: (1) Stare determinedly at that blank page, note card or computer screen until you're totally frustrated and ready to give up entirely; (2) give up immediately.

But wait! You say you aren't a quitter? You're ready, even, to try whatever it takes? Well, it's a good thing you stumbled upon this blog, because I have a whole list of suggestions that I compiled from my Facebook friends. These are tried and true methods that really work for these people. What works for you?

Christine gets out into nature—either going for a walk or doing some yard work—and keeps a pencil and note cards in her pocket, she says, "to jot down brilliant bursts of insight."

Tracey takes a study break by watching something entertaining that also makes her think.

Roger engages in some physical activity. He says, "Lifting weights gives me a good balance."

Wes takes a creative approach to staying in the moment. He's found that just the simple act of writing down whatever occurs to him—even if it's a list of words with no sentence structure—helps him re-set his brain and get the writing juices flowing.

Me? I brainstorm. Drawing on a technique I was taught in sixth grade, I often write the word "brainstorm" at the top of a page (and even go so far as to draw little thunder bolts and storm clouds around it when I'm feeling really stuck). Then, similarly to what Wes does, I write a list of words on the page. Each word is a topic pertaining to what I might write about; occasionally, I may write a list of starter sentences for the topics, too, just to test how well the subject matter gets my juices flowing. When I've found the right one, I know it, because I begin writing right then.

Are you the type of person who needs to step away from the notepad to get a fresh perspective or do you need to give yourself that extra push in the right direction, right in the moment, to overcome writer's block? How do you know ...?

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