Writer’s Block: Get Over It

Every writer has been there. Your deadline is approaching and you have NO IDEA what to write about.

If writing is an everyday part of your job, you’ll probably experience writer’s block time and time again. Here are a few tips to help you get over the hump and back in the writing groove.

Write everyday

Writing is like riding a bike – you never forget how, but if you go for a long time without doing it, you might start to feel rusty. Try writing something each day to prevent this – your daily writing doesn’t have to be structured, just sit down for a few minutes and get all of your thoughts out. Which leads me to my next tip…

Let it flow

If you’re like me, you might find that you have so many ideas and thoughts floating around in your head, you can’t write fast enough to get them all down. If you start to have an overwhelming amount of ideas, stop for a few minutes and write down as much as you can. It doesn’t have to be complete thoughts or even make sense, just get it down and you can go back to it later for inspiration when you need ideas.

Create a bank of ideas

When you find yourself needing to write something and either you don’t have an idea or you need some inspiration, having an idea bank is invaluable. This might be a notebook or a file on your computer. I recommended storing your ideas in a cloud-based system like Evernote or Google Docs that you can add to from any device, organize your ideas quickly and easily and find them later. Store your daily writings and any articles you find interesting that might serve as a resource or inspiration later.

Take a break

Sometimes your mind just needs a break. If you find yourself stuck, take a break and work on something else. Even better, take a walk outside and clear your head before you sit back down to write. And, if you don’t have a deadline, you might even put your work aside for a day or two and come back to it. It’s also a good idea to set your work aside for a least an hour or so once you finish it and look at it again later with fresh eyes.

Talk to a friend

A fresh perspective might be just thing you need to get your mind back in gear. Chat with a friend or a co-worker about what you’re working on – they might have an idea you haven’t thought of before. Get your inspiration rolling again!

What strategies do you use to help beat your writer’s block? We’d love to hear them – happy writing!

Updated: Apr 13, 2022