Five Ways to Overcome 'Writer's Block'

Running out of ideas and feeling that your creativity has been blocked out is but natural for any writer. Even some great writers in the past have not been able to escape it. It can be hard for a writer to come up with original ideas sometimes.

But there are solutions to this condition. Here are some ways to overcome the monster called writer's block.

(I use these too, so I assure you, they can be quite effective.)

1. Observe:

This method is effective if you are trying to come up with ideas for a short story or even a novel. Go to a park or a café and observe people around you. There's always a variety of people coming to such places, so you can choose to observe any particular person who catches your interest. Now think. What could there life possibly be like? Are they going through a tough time? Could there be something about them the world doesn't know? If yes, then what could it be? Come up with your own ideas and make that person the main character of your story. Just make sure not to be creepy while observing.

2. Your past as an inspiration:

Now this is something simple and easy. Use some event in the past as an inspiration for your new poem. If you want to write a story, then think of a previous incident. What would have happened had it turned out some other way? How would it have made your life different? Come up with alternate possibilities for your past experiences.

3. Using abstract feelings:

Write down a paragraph or a poem about any particular feeling. It could be anything - love, pain, anger, joy, revenge, beauty and so on. The list never ends. It is always best to write about an abstract feeling when you are actually feeling it. After all, writing is an outburst of emotions.

4. Write about a person:

Now we all have people in our lives who affect us more than anyone else. Write about them, describing your relationship with them and why they mean so much to you. Be honest though. You don't have to make them look like the definition of perfection. Write them as they are.

5. Start off with a dialogue:

Think of a dialogue. It could be something someone said to you or you could just make it up. Then continue it into a story. If you can't think of any, it's okay because there are lots of writing prompts in the form of dialogues available on the internet. You could always use them.

All the best and happy writing!