4 Ways to Get Out of a Spell of Writer's Block

Oh, writer’s block.

It's potentially one of the worst things to happen when you’re writing (other than losing your train of thought). Whether you’re writing a paper, dissertation, book, or a blog post, hitting writer’s block can be so distracting and make the thing you’re writing feel impossible.

Especially those of you who are taking on the daunting task of NaNoWriMo (you brave, ambitious souls), writer’s block is less than helpful when you’re working under a deadline.

Here are some ways I’ve helped myself get out of writer’s block that will hopefully be helpful to you as well!

1. Walk away.

I know. It sounds counterproductive but leaving your writing alone for a bit can help clear your head of some of the frustration and helplessness writer’s block can bring. Ridding your mind of that can help you come back to it with a new idea or another way to continue what you were writing before. Go for a walk, make a cup of tea or coffee, take a shower, do something to clear your mind and gets you away from your computer and your mind off of it as well.

2. Make an outline of what you’re writing.

Whatever you do to outline, try it. Sometimes it’ll help clear out the writer’s block cloud that appeared. Outlining can help you envision what you’re writing in a different way and it may help you resolve the issue in your story, paper, etc. It's just another way to see a shortened, big-picture version of what you’re working on. It may help you make a connection or get a new idea to continue writing too.

3. Don’t strive for perfection immediately.

Trying to make what you’re writing as perfect as it can possibly be in the first go can hinder more than help. Being too hard on yourself can make the process of writing exhausting and can stop your brain from creating what you want it to. Taking a page out of Anne Lamott’s book, trust the process and let that first draft be shitty. You can always make edits and changes later.

4. Jump to another section.

Sometimes a part of what you’re writing is giving you the hardest time. What helps me oftentimes is moving along to a section I either haven’t finished yet or I want to add more to. Obviously, mark for yourself that you’ll come back to that unfinished part, but for me when I move along to a separate part of my writing, I’ll feel motivated again and want to tackle the part that was giving me the most trouble.

Have you ever suffered from a bad case of writer’s block? Do you have your own tips to get out of it? Let me know in the comments below!