How do you get over writer's block?

1. 87

   RGrafposted 14 years ago

   I've been beyond stressed over the last week or so and the result is writer's block.  Now that things are quieting down I still cannot seem to write anything.  What do you do to get the ink flowing?

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2. 89

   Stacie Lposted 14 years ago

   Hey RGraf; I've been there.
   whenever I have writer's block,I go to my old articles or hubs and re work them...tweak them,add to them...this usually gets the thinking going..
   try it

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3. 69

   Pearldiverposted 14 years ago

   Stop thinking about writing!!
   
   Stop thinking about writing ........ Right Now.
   
   Go somewhere in your neighorhood that you haven't ever been to.
   And you will find that the winds of creation will flow to you.

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4. 60

   goodfriendiamposted 14 years ago

   I walk away from it for awhile, 10 minutes, 2 hrs, 1 day, and so on. and what the other lady said. hope this helps

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5. 59

   AsherKadeposted 14 years ago

   write about experiences...check the local newspapers...

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6. 60

   Suiikiposted 14 years ago

   If it's just minor writer's block. I like to check out questions pages, be it HubPages Questions, Yahoo Answers, or something else, and make a hub on interesting questions. Or I make a completely silly hub. Another thing that I do is that I walk away, have a cup of tea, and clean up the house for a while, draw a picture, play a video game, etc. I find that changing the location of my writing also helps. If I have been writing in the computer room, I go to the bedroom with a notebook and pen or I walk to the park, or go to visit my wife at work and write while she finishes up what she's doing.

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7. 73

   E. A. Wrightposted 14 years ago

   Second the suggestions to get a change of scenery and to look back at your past work.
   
   A few more tips for writer's block:
   
   In addition to tweaking what you've already written, look at your past work as a reminder of what you can accomplish and as a reminder that the task at hand is far from impossible.
   
   * Sometimes a block is just fear that what you write won't be good enough/meet your standards. So relax. Write just to write, to string words together, even if you decide later that your idea/approach weren't so super. You can revise/delete later. Working in a format like hubpages makes that very easy.
   
   * Conjure a strong emotion. Think of someone you love or hate, or a time you were scared to death. Write from that vivid mental image you now have, and from the related experiences. Maybe you once had a snotty coworker. Relive the agony, and now you have some groan-worthy stories and (hopefully) some coping strategies to share.
   
   * Think of what you're an expert in. How to articles are a good fallback, if you write about something you do regularly. Just narrate the task. No deep thoughts involved.
   
   * Give yourself permission to take a break. If you're doing the hubchallenge, say, take a few days off. While you're on the break from writing, come up with a  plan for how and when to get caught up again. (Say, two hours Thursday night after dinner, accepting that you'll get to watch one less movie that week.)
   
   * For the future, consider keeping an informal journal full of snippets of overheard conversations, experiences and interesting articles you've come across. This could be in paper form, or in the form of a pile of links and jumbled text files on your computer desktop. (More my style.) It will become a reliable resource for inspiration. Use like medicine next time you feel a bad block coming on.
   
   Good luck!

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8. 66

   Ladybird33posted 14 years ago

   Listen to music, let it sink into your soul, come through your heart and penetrate your brain.  Believe me, it works. Music, my friend, close your eyes and listen.

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9. 0

   Ghost32posted 14 years ago

   I pick up a dictionary and start checking words at random for topics about which to write.  If that doesn't work, I write about having writer's block.

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10. 80

    dohn121posted 14 years ago

    I pick up the first thing within reach: a newspaper, a novel, a textbook, you name it.  Sometimes I just go out for a brisk walk.  If you do, make sure you bring a notepad and a pen.  You never know when a great story idea will hit you.  Story ideas usually come when your not tying to come up with one.

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