{"id":2983,"date":"2020-12-15T10:37:38","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T10:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/?p=2983"},"modified":"2023-06-12T12:28:28","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T11:28:28","slug":"dealing-with-writers-block","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/dealing-with-writers-block\/","title":{"rendered":"Dealing With Writer’s Block"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You know how it is. You\u2019ve spent ages thinking about what you\u2019re going to write, anticipating it, feeling frustrated <\/a>because other things are getting in the way of it. Finally, you clear a couple of hours from your busy schedule, switch on your computer or get out your pen and paper and…c nothing. The words won\u2019t come, or they seem laughably trite or clich\u00e9d or flaccid. You\u2019re gripped by the urgent need to wash the kitchen floor, track down a sock that\u2019s been missing for the past five years or surf a favourite website. Hey, maybe you could call that research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe you could call it procrastination. Or writer\u2019s block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an insidious business because the more you allow it to happen, the more often it will happen. So how do you stop it? Here are some of my favourite tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9 Tips To Conquer Writers\u2019 Block<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1) Sit Down And Show Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As Mark Twain so famously said (and as other writers have echoed since), writing is all about application: the application of the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair. Don\u2019t give in to those internal urgings to tidy up, sow some lettuce seeds or do anything else that will curtail the agony of sitting there and not writing. You\u2019ll never make any progress if you don\u2019t get those words down. Sit it out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Cut Out The Internet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you find that you\u2019ve spent two hours at your desk but most of that time has involved writing emails or surfing the web, then the only answer is to switch off your Internet connection at its source before you start work. If you don\u2019t, you\u2019ll be drawn to the icon of your chosen browser sooner or later. Don\u2019t give yourself that temptation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Write Something Else Instead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If the words really won\u2019t come, write something else instead. Write about how you\u2019re feeling. Write a letter to your dog. It doesn\u2019t really matter what you write, as long as you write something. (But don\u2019t write anything self-defeating<\/a>, such as telling yourself how pathetic you are. That won\u2019t help.) Write for ten minutes and stop. Switch to your current project and start writing that<\/a>. Don\u2019t think about it. Just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Julia Cameron created a whole creative practice built on this called “Morning Pages”<\/a> and it can work really well even beyond breaking writer’s block.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Embrace The Mess<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Writing is an untidy business, but published books rarely reflect that. If they\u2019ve been edited and produced in a professional manner, the prose is seamless. It flows in a way that may make you tear your hair on a bad day. Don\u2019t let yourself be intimidated by this. The raw manuscript<\/a> of your favourite novel was probably just as messy as yours is right now. That\u2019s OK. No one is going to see it. You aren\u2019t completing an exam paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you want every sentence to be perfect as soon as you\u2019ve written it, or you fret that your grasp of apostrophes isn\u2019t all it could be, you will probably agonize over every word so much that the flow will soon dry up. Right now, you need to get the words down. The editing stage <\/a>can come later. And if there really is room for improvement, maybe you could start teaching yourself grammar, spelling and syntax in your spare time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6) Take Notes For Later<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you aren\u2019t happy about a word or a sentence when you write it, and you keep coming back to it instead of moving ahead, highlight it so you can come back to it later and keep the flow going in the meantime. If you use Microsoft Word, get into the habit of using Track Changes. This allows you to insert a comment into your text at the relevant point, so you can flag whatever is necessary. Track Changes also remembers your editing in case you have second thoughts about it and want to revert to your original text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

7) Set An Achievable Goal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve only got half an hour of writing time, there\u2019s no point in telling yourself you\u2019re going to write 1000 words. It\u2019s unlikely to happen, which will be discouraging. If you are really struggling, aim to write a single paragraph. Then, if you\u2019ve got time, write the next one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8) Give Yourself A Stopping Point<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some writers like to stop work when they reach the end of a chapter. Others always stop mid-chapter or even mid-sentence, so they can plunge straight back into what they were writing because they\u2019re excited about what happens next. Figure out where it feels good to stop, when you know that you’ll have something exciting to come back to — because you’ll be setting yourself up for success tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9) Write At The Same Time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, try to write at the same time each day. This makes it part of your daily routine, so it becomes a habit. If you show up every day for the muse, the muse is more likely to show up for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You know how it is. You\u2019ve spent ages thinking about what you\u2019re going to write, anticipating it, feeling frustrated because other things are getting in the way of it. Finally, you clear a couple of hours from your busy schedule, switch on your computer or get out your pen and paper and…c nothing. The words<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":478685,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[27498],"class_list":["post-2983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writer-self-care","tag-idea-generator"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJericho Writers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Can writers cure writer's block? 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