How To Cure Writers Block

I've always loved reading. But when I look back I don't see myself being the stereotypical book worm; my nose wasn't glued to a book all day, and I didn't get all my social skills from Harry Potter. I was a social kid but a fast and avid reader.

Growing up, my parents called me Matilda because I'd blow through whole books in a day. I had new shelves build every few months because I was adamant that buying an E-reader was the worst thing a book lover could do. Then as I grew older, I got more into the writing side of things. I tried for years to write my very own book. 

Years later, I'm glad about how close I am to the goal of being a writer. Sure, being a social media manager means that my written work is often confined to the twitter 280 character limit, but I still get the chance to write blogs and press releases. I'm a lot closer to reaching that goal of being a published author. Well, a lot closer than a lot of people my age and fresh out of University.

I still get time to write for myself to an extent. I write a post for this blog pretty much daily and keep myself busy looking after the various social media accounts which boost my traffic. It's pretty much the same as being a novelist; it involves the same level of planning, organisation and deadlines.

But now that the world is on pause for a little while, there is no better chance for me to sit down and write. It's one of my Quarantine Resolutions that I'd like to achieve ASAP. Yet I seem to be struggling to find my feet with the plotline, it's the same issue I always have. I know the start, and I see the end of my book, but figuring out how to weave it all together is hard.

So this blog post is just as much for me as it is for you. I researched some activities and habits to get into to cure writer's block, and I think I'm happy with the ones I've listed below. I'll do an updated blog post later down the line and let you know if I've found any of these useful. 

Before I talk more about the ways to cure writer's block, I think its important to understand why we've got it in the first place. Identifying the cause of writer's block means you can prevent falling down the same rabbit hole again. 

Fear

Sometimes it can be terrifying to put pen to paper finally. Will your story be good enough? What if people don't like it? Questions like this are bound to interfere with your creative flow.

Procrastination

Some of the best writers throughout history were massive procrastinators. As writers, we're able to think of creative ways not to do what we need to.

Perfection

After taking the time to plan out your first book carefully, the fear of perfection can be crippling.

There could be other reasons you're losing the will to write, but these three tend to be the most popular reasons. Once you take a moment to indulge in writer's block, it can be challenging to get your creative mojo back.

Ways To Cure Writers Block

Daily Writing Prompts

There are loads of sites and accounts on the internet that regular post writing prompts to help authors out. Writing Prompts are a great way to be creative but still have a strong structure and theme in your book. Prompts can be anything from an occasional bit of fun to a regular part of your writing process. They can teach you to observe and feel, get you unstuck when the words aren't flowing, give you new story ideas, and sometimes even win you awards. The more you do them, the more comfortable they become.

Don't Be Perfect

You don't need to make your book a bestseller in the first draft. That's pretty much impossible. It's the editor's job to make your story picture-perfect, not yours.

Neil Gaiman once said that you must always have a second draft. It's in the second draft where you make it look like you knew what you were doing the whole time. It's something I remember every time I write a blog or article, so why should the rule not apply with your writing. The fear of imperfection is difficult to overcome, but once you learn not to give a f*** you're well on your way.

Know When To Put The Pen Down

Sometimes it's difficult to know when you need a rest from writing. You might be stuck on a critical point of your book and unsure where to take it next, but that doesn't mean you need to pull at strings to try to get past it. If you're not sure about what you're doing, feel like you're writing to write or don't have a concept of the plot anymore, stop and take a break. You don't need to worry about imperfection, but that doesn't mean you should try to rush yourself to finish.

Change Your Medium Up

This sounded like a silly one to me at first. But changing up your writing medium can be just as good a refresh as changing your writing space (something which I also recommend but neglected to include in this blog post). I don't know why this makes me think of old movies, perhaps its because writers and musicians are often depicted scrawling poems or songs on napkins/ scraps of paper for later. I do see the merit in it, but I find it difficult to do myself! 

Write When You're Ready

Just like you need to know when to put the pen down, you should know when to pick the pen up. If you're not ready to sit and write then do not bother. If you're writing professionally, then there are always deadlines to meet. But if you write something you don't believe in or feel up to putting your time in, it just will not be quality content.

Keep A Journal

I've always found journaling to be a useful tool. Over time I've been able to refine my writing style, practise my grammar and develop as a person from journaling, If you prefer bullet journaling to 'dear diary' journaling, then you can try that method too. But I've always kept a journal where I can write pages and pages about my day. 

Create A Routine

Try to make sure that you write at the same or at a similar time each day. This helps you prepare yourself throughout the day, ready for your devoted writing time. 

Hopefully, these tips and tricks will help prevent or cure your writer's block. In times like these, we should be looking for ways to be creative. I like the idea of coming out of isolation with a tangible product of my work. But it's also okay if I don't achieve that. I enjoy writing all the same.