Whenever I open up a Q&A thread one of my most common questions I get is, “What do you do when you have writer’s block?” . I’ll be honest, this was NEVER a problem in my life until last year. Until March of last year, writing was my passion but it was mostly an “on the side” thing, a treat at the end of a long work day. Now, I write all day every day, and the writer’s block can get so real.
So, what do I do (and what to I suggest other authors do) when faced with the dreaded blank screen and even blanker brain?
1. Change up the playlist!
I am a bit of a creature of habit. When I sit down to write I need to have all of the things on my desk organized just right, my coffee and a glass of water on hand, and my writing playlist queued up on Spotify. Usually, I need the exact same playlist every day. If I put my editing playlist (mostly Panic! at the Disco) on while I’m trying to make new words, it just doesn’t work. My writing playlist is so familiar to my brain that it’s basically white noise, calming but not distracting. This works perfect for me most of the time. BUT, when the words won’t go, the first thing I try is I stop my playlist and I ask myself what feeling the story or scene I’m working on is supposed to have that I’m not managing to feel or capture, then I go in search of music that fits it! Sex scenes? Sexy play list! Sad scene? break out those tear jerker songs. New music equals a new mindset and it can unleash the words in a snap.
2. Search for visual inspiration
Visual inspiration never hurts the situation. Taking to Pinterest, Facebook, or putting my CockyBoys subscription to good use never fails to grease the wheels of my creativity!
3. Go for a walk
It turns out sitting in front of a screen straining your brain can be counterproductive to creativity. The more you try to force it, staring at a blank doc and beating yourself up, the more you can scare the words away. So, when the struggle gets real, leash up your dog (or cat? or significant other?) and head outside to get some fresh air. There’s nothing like a nice long walk to unleash the words. Be sure to bring a notebook or your phone with you because you may need to write the ideas down as they start to flow!
4. Talk it out
Sometimes the best way to figure out what’s stopping you up is to talk about your story to someone else- critique partner, regular beta reader, author friends, or even your significant other! I can’t count the number of times I’ve been wrestling with a story or trying to drag a character along without much success and a conversation with someone else about it helped me see where I was going wrong. Sometimes as the author you’re too close to the story to see where your stumbling blocks are, and sometimes simply explaining the story or what you THINK the problem is can be all you need to unblock your brain.
5. Put it aside
When all else fails, take a break. Maybe you only need to stop away for a day or two, maybe this story just isn’t ready to be written right now and needs to be put aside all together. Trying to force it isn’t going to work, so if it’s not happening, let it go and if it’s meant to be, you’ll eventually come back to it.
Happy writing 😉