Read Time: 2 minutes
Your favorite writing coach lied to you.
They said you needed to honor a strict schedule, get fresh air, or find inspiration to overcome writer’s block.
But you’re still stuck…
That means it’s time to avoid the clichés and test these solutions to turn your writer’s block into building blocks:
1/ Stop writing with your hands
Instead, write your prose by recording your voice.
Sometimes relief arrives when you can release your words without having to look at them.
ACTION STEP:
- Use Otter.ai for free real-time voice transcriptions
- If using the phone app: Screen face-down
- If using a computer: Dim screen 100%
Alt option: Use Rev.com for cheap transcriptions
2/ Become a Doomsday Prepper
The preppers are ready for everything because they know anything can happen.
Use similar logic to outwit your writer’s block and increase your word counts.
Future-proof your writing sessions by preparing for the worst.
ACTION STEP:
Before starting your writing session –
- Prep food, beverages + backup snacks, drinks
- Hit the toilet twice & flush thrice
- Escape into a locked room
- Disable your Wi-Fi
Enjoy your End of Daze
3/ Downgrade your expectations
You may be frozen by fear because you can’t create at the level of your expectations.
Maybe it’s because you’re not yet a best-selling author. Maybe you’re not even an active writer yet.
Accept your current status and embrace a new belief system.
Downgrade your expectations to upgrade your results.
ACTION STEP:
When facing a blank page, compose your headspace by writing helpful mantras between your page breaks such as –
- “I trust I can fix the words later”
- “I’m trying my best to become better”
- “I’m becoming the writer I’m meant to be”
4/ Role-Play
Take off your old writing hat and wear a new POV.
Writers in any genre can grow by role-playing new characters and personas.
So if you’re stuck writing as you, it’s worth trying to write like someone else.
Take a vacation from yourself.
Then take an alternative Point Of View to fill your pages.
ACTION STEP:
- Perform on the page as anyone or anything
- Try on the role of a god, a bra, a ninja, an armadillo, or anything else
5/ Call in Sick
Stop trying to be the writer you’re incapable of being today.
Give yourself permission to play hooky from writing. Be the consumer instead of the creator.
Go read a good book or binge your favorite shows. Sometimes your writing needs a sabbatical.
So why frickin’ force it? Maybe a day or two away will make all the difference?
Consume. Curate. Create.
ACTION STEP:
- Read books or watch shows
- Curate while consuming other people’s creations
- Document characters, scenes & ideas that inspire you
- Later review your notes & choose one thing to write about
6/ Lock In Your Goals
Maybe your productivity needs to be held accountable?
Maybe a friend can help you do that by setting your creative goals?
You’re either going to disappoint them or yourself.
Sometimes you need to imprison your writing to free it.
ACTION STEP:
- Find someone you respect who will hold you responsible for your writing goals.
- Commit to a weekly or monthly cycle when you will share your results.
…
Writer’s block should be a temporary obstacle.
And writing your way out of it, getting fresh air, or finding inspiration doesn’t always work. Fortunately, there are alternative paths to turn your writer’s block into a body of work.
So next time your writing meets an invisible wall, try any one of the above tricks to break through it.