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So You Have Writer's Block

It's a deadly curse that strikes every writer once or twice or several hundred times over the course of your life. But never fear! There's always some ways to counter it.

By Delise FantomePublished 5 years ago 6 min read
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Photo by Mike Tinnion on Unsplash

The cursor keeps blinking on the screen of your laptop. The pen (or pencil if you dig those old school vibes) lays idly on the side of the notebook; sometimes you pick it up, thinking the feel of it will inspire some reflex that sparks up an idea before you lay it back down in defeat. You keep tapping the screen of your phone as you open up a tiny Notes app hoping at least a word will strike you.

Nothing.

This . . . darkness . . . inside of you. This total blockage from creativity and passion. It is called writer's block, and it is a nasty opponent. Your well of words is dried, the fountain of ideas sputters to a stop like a malfunctioning engine. What is really important though, is knowing that it can be overcome, with a little faith and daring.

1. Hydration is Key

Have you had any water to drink today? In the past few days? Water is so important to a healthy body, and therefore a healthy mind.

So first, here's what I want you to do. Step away from the laptop, or the notebook for a minute. Got to your kitchen and get some water. Be it from a bottle or a glass, just make sure it's full. Sit somewhere comfy again and drink. Don't chug, just sip at it at a comfortable pace for you. When you're done, if you feel like another glass or bottle could be helpful, do it. There's no limit for how much you have to drink, but consider how long you've gone without water and how much you know you can normally drink and proceed from there.

Again, don't chug. It's not a race or a competition. Take a breath in between each drink. Might I suggest some lemon in your water? A slice of orange? If you want to get fancy, slice up a cucumber, and eat the remains—which brings me to the next piece.

2. Nourish Your Body

Maybe it's a personal thing, or maybe it's a common symptom of writers that we might neglect proper eating habits for our work? Sometimes I am so determined to churn out some set number of pages that I can forget about food until the sun has set and my stomach is trying to sink along with it.

Sitting down for a meal in peace is important, actually savoring your food and enjoying the creation, either someone else's or your own. It is not necessary however, so you can do simpler things that still keep you healthy. Keeping snacks by your side to nibble on as you write is a good way to counteract subconscious negligence as you work or try hard to work. Packages of nuts, bowls of fruits, yogurt, etc. Whatever you prefer to eat, really, just make sure it can fill you up. So that if you do get that long-awaited breakthrough you can be right in front of your medium of choice to let the thoughts run. If you don't, well... at least you're not hungry on top of that.

3. Organize Your Thoughts

Some people are planners. Others are spontaneous. Which can all be viable in terms of writing styles too!

You can't just snap out of writer's block. And hoping for an idea to spring up from it is also an exercise in frustration.

So, sometimes a little bit of both is needed as you sit down and manage your expectations for the first idea to spring forth from the wasteland that used to be your imagination. You remember those planning charts they used to make you practice in literature arts back in school? Those stupid things with the large bubble that was your main idea and the spindly legs attached that served to identify your supporting reasons/arguments? Yeah, we all thought they were dumb (and they still are, believe me) but they're all you have so let's put into play.

Maybe you toyed with an idea before you suddenly lost all drive to write. Or there has been some idea, a sentence or image, that sparked at least a note of interest in you that you kept private and safe for a time you thought it could be safely looked upon and nurtured. Bring out that idea, and then write down anything that idea brings to mind. Any memories, dreams, conversations you had with others—bring it all out to the forefront and then start working on organizing it.

Sometimes your writer's block is just procrastination dressed up in despair. So usually these things can help and you realize you had the mojo all along, it just needed a little pick-me up. But... sometimes... these things still don't help.

If none of this is working and you're still on "E" for "Everything is meaningless and nothing I write matters," keep reading!

4. Search for Passion

When you have nothing of your own to say, perhaps you've got plenty to say about something outside of your own mind and heart. It's one of my favorite things, to wade deep into the quagmires of social media and peruse the content available to me.

I adore Pinterest, and Tumblr posts are always good food for thought sometimes. Many Tumblr bloggers post nothing but writing prompts for writers like you and I, using really creative sentences or surprising prompts that we normally would not think about.

Or, you could look at all the great art on the sites, all kinds of responses to art challenges or prompts that fill our screens with colors and shades. Maybe diving into your fandom can help you rekindle the spark of magic for the written word.

Reread your favorite book, look up new ones, do a crossword puzzle even. Sometimes inspiration comes from the smallest things that you would never have looked at before.

5. Treat Yourself Kindly

This is the most important step, beyond everything else.

Chances are, you're going to do all the steps I've told you above. Drink the water, eat some food, brainstorm and research... you might go a little above and beyond too. Exercise, change resting positions, burn some incense or smudge.

And not a single word will come to you. And that is okay.

You might have had this problem for months already. Truth is, it's probably not yet done. There's a good reason, usually, for our well of words drying up. Some source of stress that lies deep in our lives, like a knot in a muscle so deep it seems permanent. Some worry, a fear, that acts as a dam to the things that should be easy like breathing.

Please, if you don't take anything else away from this article, take this: Don't be hard on yourself.

Do the best that you can do right now. Even if your best still won't allow for your poet's soul to express itself in its favorite medium, it's still the best you can do and that's a proud achievement. If you could hydrate adequately, keep your health up, and give yourself a little mind numbing piece then that's a battle won in a drawn out war. The words will eventually come back to you... as sure as we live, they will return... but it will not be today. Or tomorrow, most likely.

Just keep trying.

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About the Creator

Delise Fantome

I write about Halloween, music, movies, and more! Boba tea and cheesecake are my fuel. Let's talk about our favorite haunts and movies on Twitter @ThrillandFear

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