Allison Foster offers her tips on dealing with writer’s block.
Note: here is a guestpost from Allison Foster. I will be taking a break from posting too many more guestposts going forward, and focusing more on series. Any guestposts I take will likely fit into my series. Thanks!!
We all get writer’s block. Even if we don’t write anything more than a simple email or text message, we have all had the experience of staring at a blank screen and not having anything to write. Because I write so much, I find myself in the uncomfortable position of having writer’s block more frequently than most. Some things I have learned from this are:
- Naps are good – The times I find myself stuck in the deepest wells of inspiration-less-ness is when I am tired. Just flat out, dog tired. My eyes are drooping and bloodshot, my yawning is nearly constant, and I feel a headache coming on. Tell you what; naps are not just for the kiddos. I don’t care if I just go crash in my car, twenty minutes of shut eye can bring me back to life.
- Walking works–Another way I get myself out of a writer’s funk is to take a walk. On a nice day I can walk around the block a couple times, breathing in the fresh air and seeing things that are farther than a few inches from my face. On bad days I take a walk around my building, up and down the stairs, and try to avoid the weird looks I get. Here is a hint: look busy. But whatever else you do, getting moving helps to wake your brain up and get your finger ready to type.
- Talk it out–I’m typically not much of a talker, really. I like to stay in my little world, do my own thing. However when writer’s block strikes I find it beneficial to talk it out. This does not work in all circumstances, of course, but if you can talk to someone else you might just get a new view on things.
- Get creative–Okay, we are all guilty of repeating ourselves. We find something that works and we know well and we stick with it. But after a while that gets boring. To break out of writer’s block, I sometimes have to think outside of the box and get crazy. I not only start writing that way but I also get to learn cool new stuff!
- Just start – Okay, you’ve been sitting there long enough. Just start writing. Anything. Literally. Even the same sentence over and over again can get your mind back into gear.
- Make yourself laugh–Sometimes I have had it with boring stuff. I want to scream! So, I relive the tension with sarcasm and humor. You’d be surprised how well it works.
- Food is yummy – Mmm, snacks. Your brain needs energy to think, right? What could be better than a tasty snack mid-day!
- Music can be good or bad–Okay, I am on the fence about music. Sometimes music just distracts me and I lose my train of thought. Other times it inspires me and helps me to write faster. What I have found is that sticking to lyric-less music is best, but that is just me.
- Social media sucks (time)–Do not get sucked into Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or whatever your poison of choice is. It sucks. Big time. LOTS of time. Yes, you can check it, but after you write something!
- Getting started is the hardest part–This is true of many things, but it is especially true of writing. If you can just get an idea, make a plan of where to start, you will be better off.
Author Byline:
This guest post was provided by Allison Foster. She has a solid writing resume that includes blogging both personally and professionally and regular freelance writing and photography jobs. She has enjoyed furthering her writing career with http://www.nannyclassifieds.