How to Conquer Writer's Block.

Like most writers, I sometimes find myself in a spot where the words won't come to you when they need to. Writer's block is a serious concern for all writers. Your brain locks up, your fingers don't move and you're stuck staring at the screen for what seems to be several hours. Time races by while you rack your brain trying to think of what to write next. 

It’s never something simple like a fight scene or anything along those lines. That would be way too easy to break. The block comes when you are building up to those types of scenes. Everyone knows what their scenes will look like; how they will catch and hold the reader’s attention. It’s getting to those scenes that prove difficult at times.

The other form of writer’s block that I run into is spending time writing a forced scene. The writing is choppy and unfocused. Most of the time it doesn't even make any sense at all. You look at it like, what was I thinking writing this.

You know that once you start writing something concrete the words will flow nonstop for the rest of your writing session. The question is: how do you get to that point? There are ways to get around writers block that I have found work well. Each one doesn't work every time, so I had to come up with a couple different strategies.

1.     Stare out a window. Unless it’s dark out, staring out the window allows you to observe life. We create life in our stories and what better way to get rid of writer’s block than to write a small scene in your story about something mundane. You don’t need to keep it in your story but writing a small, simple scene about life will help loosen your brain and fingers letting my creative side free.

2.     Get up and move around. When I get really stuck, sometimes I just need to get up and walk around my writing space. For me I have a large living room that I write in so it allows ample space to do whatever movement I require. I will do jumping jacks, jog in place, play with the dog, work on my honey do list or just pace in a circle. Whatever it is I do, it gets my motor running and my brain working. Next thing I know I will stop in the middle of my tracks and run back to the computer with words flowing like never before.

3.     Work on something else. There are times where I get stuck on a story and nothing that I try gets me writing again. When this happens I will work on another project for awhile. Work on a short story, work out a thought or a summary for another book, and now I can add blogging on my list of things that I can do too. If you’re like me, your brain never stops working on your main story. Even as I type this, I am thinking about the next part to my short story (which may turn into a book one day) Azric: Future Unleashed and the second book to Books of Azric: The Beginning that I haven’t even begun yet.  Either way, when I sit down to write I need to make sure my time is productive in some way.

4.     Talk it out. Sometimes I just have to talk it out. I will talk through my writing block with my Fiancé and use her as a sounding board. I won’t give up any important or central information to the main plot but it helps me move through the scene. Sometimes we, as writers, make it more difficult than it should be but it’s what we do. She will give the simplest solution or as we’re talking I’ll just go, OMG! I just figured it out! (Yes, I’ll actually say O.M.G.) Then I’ll be back at my computer clacking away on the keys.

These are some of the ways I remove the block in front of my creativity. They may work for you and other writer’s. Feel free to share your tips as well, new suggestions are always welcome.