We all get it every now and then---that moment, or hour, day, week (maybe longer!) where we just can't seem to get anywhere with our manuscript. We stare at it, type a few words....backspace, backspace. Type a few more words....still not right. Backspace, backspace. And this goes on and on. You can't seem to get past that one phrase or one paragraph.
First of all, it's normal. But as we all know, it can be very frustrating. OK, very VERY frustrating.
Here are a few things I've found that help with writer's block:
1) If it's daytime: Take a break and go outside. Get some exercise, work in the yard, play with the dog--whatever. Just move around! Staring at that screen and getting more and more annoyed with yourself/lack of creative flow is not accomplishing anything. Maybe some fresh air will rejuvenate you.
2) If it's nighttime: (And by nighttime I mean it's late---you can feel those circles growing under your eyes, you know you have to be up early in the morning, and everything you try to write just isn't working.) Go to bed! You may have had X amount of pages you wanted to accomplish tonight and you're DETERMINED to reach that goal, but if you're truly stuck--on top of being tired--you would probably be better served to go to bed and start fresh tomorrow.
3) If it's been several days now and you're still stumped...Ideas aren't panning out. Words aren't sounding right. That little cursor just keeps blinking back at you.... Try this. Go online and type in "writing prompts." Choose one that hits you and get to writing. What you write really won't matter---you're just doing it to get back your writing flow. More than likely, your writer's block is partially due to the fact that you've got so many OTHER thoughts besides just the story in your head: things like (well if I say this, then I can't use the transition into the next chapter that I had planned, or if I say this, that contradicts what I told my agent I had in mind for the ending.) So...just getting back into the flow of pure writing may help gain back your momentum on your manuscript.
4) Ok, so maybe the writing prompt thing doesn't work for you. Even writing about a random topic has you totally hitting a wall with no burst of creativity striking you. Well then, what gets your creative juices flowing? For me, that's busting out my camera and producing some really great photography. Or listening to music. Or going to see a really well-done movie and noticing all the great acting, filming, sound effects, etc. Wherever you get your boost of creativity, go there. Do it. It just might translate to the page when you set back down to work on your manuscript.
5) Other times, when you've had writer's block for several days and still can't kick it--- you may just need to take a full on break from writing. Put your manuscript aside, forget about all the little things that aren't working, and just focus on other things in your life for a couple days or a few weeks. Now this can be hard to do--you may feel guilty for not working on it--but don't look at it as losing those days of writing/therefore getting behind. Look at it as simply part of the writing process. (No different than cutting out scenes that aren't working, adding in a new character, or building suspense in your plot.) And hopefully, when you return to your script, you're refreshed and free of writer's block. During your time away, you may have even thought of some much needed ideas or solutions that were holding you back before. Or perhaps just starting up with a clean slate/fresh perspective will get you back in the game.
5) If you've had writer's block for several weeks or maybe even a couple months, it may be time to seek out the advice from a fellow writer--or if you don't know any, perhaps an online community for writers can help. Talking about the part you're stumped on and brainstorming on ideas may be just the thing that pushes you over that hump. Writing can be a very lonely process at times. It's healthy to engage others in the process from time to time, especially when writer's block is getting us down.
I'll end this post with a question-- What do YOU do when you have writer's block? Maybe you can share some tips and help out other writers who are following the blog. THANKS!
Happy Writing
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