What causes writer’s block? It can be just about anything. Stress, not sleeping (or not getting enough sleep), a family crisis, or putting yourself on a schedule to get a particular amount of work done each day. The list goes on and on! Have you had a breakup with your latest boyfriend or girlfriend? Yep! That will attract the monster. He’ll stop our words from coming just as long as he can.
I’ve been going round after round with the writer’s block monster lately. I have to admit that. How can we rid ourselves of this block? Luckily, there are several ways to do this!
- Go for a walk. That’s what I said, go for a walk. Go out, walk around the block and talk to your neighbors.
- Go to the mall, Walmart, or a bookstore. It doesn’t matter if you shop or browse. Just get out there!
- Finish making your afghan, finish the painting you’ve been working on or work on whatever hobby you have.
- Cook.
- Have lunch with a friend.
- Read that book you’ve wanted to read for so long.
I guess you’ve figured out by now that the thing that works best for me is getting away from the computer for a while. Sometimes this will work for me in a matter of hours, sometimes it will take a day or two, while sometimes it takes longer.
There are other ways to chase this monster away. Some people have found that starting another story or article works for them. I’m happy if this way works for you! It only works for me up to a point. Don’t get me wrong, try this way each time that monster hits. Sometimes it works for me, and sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, I know that it’s time to step away from the computer. Besides, I think I’m giving my muse a break.
Since we’re on the topic of starting something new, I’ve found some great help. This isn’t a book at all. It’s a website by Scholastic for idea starters. It says it's for teachers, but it'll work for you too. It's also another good way to battle writer's block! The link to STORY STARTERS is below.
Here are other ideas that might help. It’s called Ten Websites to Cure our Writer’s Block. I think you’ll find this helpful.
What works for you in the battle to beat writer’s block? Leave a comment and let me know!
Here’s a YouTube video I found that, in my opinion, gives the best advice of all. I think you’ll enjoy this.
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Link:
10 MORE WEBSITES THAT HELP CURE WRITER’S BLOCK WITH WRITING PROMPTS: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-websites-cure-writers-block-writing-prompts
STORY STARTERS: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/story-starters/index.html