Defeating Writer's Block

Writer's Block is the dragon that all heroic writers must face at some point in their lives - whether they want to publish or not. Writers of all levels, beginners to pros, must learn to defeat Writer's Block. The good news is that you are not alone. All of us have experienced the exact same feelings of helplessness and desperation that you have. And we can help each other.

Here are some quick and fast tips for defeating Writer's Block.

1. Shut up your internal censor.

You know that little voice inside your head? The one that tells you that you are a terrible writer and nothing you type out or write in your journal makes sense? Shut it up. One way to do this is by writing something that scares you. If you think you are very bad at poetry, write a poem even if you think you can't. If you are bad at love scenes, write a steamy, romantic, passionate scene. You might be surprised what you can do when you try.

2. Give yourself permission to fail.

This might seem self-defeating, but it works. Say to yourself, "I am going to write today, and if every word is not a perfect masterpiece, that's okay... as long as I'm writing." Not every sentence you write will be amazing, and that is okay. Not every sentence Shakespeare wrote was amazing, either, I'll bet. He just went back and fixed it later, or else the other sentences were so great that nobody noticed.

3. Set small, reasonable goals for yourself. Reward appropriately.

Instead of staring at a blank page and worrying about filling it, set a goal for yourself. "I am going to write 500 words at this sit-down. That is it." When you finish that goal, even if the words are not your best, reward yourself. Take a nice, hot shower. Eat a yummy popsicle. Go get a hug from your favorite person. Rinse and repeat.

4. Do writing sprints!

These are fun exercises that are great for the writer who is struggling. Sit down at your computer or open up a journal and check the clock. Write for 5, 10, or 15 minutes without stopping. Just keep going, even if it doesn't hang together quite right. You can always go back and edit later. For now, just get the words out.

5. Word prompts

There are several fun word and character prompts you can use to get yourself inspired. Put together a list of ten unrelated words, or use a word generator to come up with some. Then, try and connect all those words together. There are some great name and character generators on www.seventh-sanctum.com

6. Build a community

Show your work to others. Share it on www.fictionpress.com and find some reviewers. Post a little bit at a time. That way, with other people bugging you for more and a goal to work towards, you will have more motivation to write.

Happy writing!