If you’ve sat down with a pen and paper or a keyboard and screen, you’ve probably run into this problem at least once: you have a great idea that you’re eager to work on, but no matter what you do, you can’t seem to get anything written. (And anything you do manage to write somehow ends up sounding horrible no matter what you do.) But fear not, the dreaded writer’s block can be beaten! Whether the story has already been started, or it’s just not getting off the ground, we have 10 ways for you to beat back writer’s block and get back to writing.

 

Take a Break

Get up, stretch your legs, maybe get a snack—writing (and thinking about writing) can work up an appetite! Just getting up and moving around can get the brain back in action and spark ideas that you otherwise might not have had.

If You Use an Outline, Revisit It

Where are you in terms of the whole story? If the scene itself is giving you trouble, consider skipping to the next scene the story needs. Maybe the scene you’re stuck on isn’t one that’s going to make a difference. Maybe there’s something else that needs to happen in this scene that you hadn’t thought about yet.

Write Ahead

Pick a scene ahead, maybe even the ending. Write that instead. When you’re done, look back at the scene you’re stuck at and try to figure out what needs to happen in order to get you to the scene you just wrote.

Mix it Up and Get Crazy

What’s the worst thing that could happen? Write it, even if it means suddenly killing a character or using a weird plot twist. You don’t need to keep what you write; you just need to get back to writing something. Writing a worst-case scenario may make character motivations or directions to take clearer; it might even show you which characters or details you do or don’t need. The worst thing that happens to you is you write something you don’t need, and that’s far better than having written nothing.

Write Something Else

If you can’t seem to write anything for this story, it’s time to break out those writing prompts you’ve never used. Maybe you have a book of them, or you know a great blog, or you’ve saved some from National Novel Writing Month. Wherever you get them, the time has come to pick one and write something for it. Maybe it only ends up being a page or fifteen, but maybe it ends up being a better story than what you were working on. Whatever the case, you’ve created something new, and something is always better than nothing.

Take a Walk

If writing itself is the trouble, try going for a walk. Pick someplace nice and wander around. If the weather doesn’t permit a nice, outdoor stroll, find an indoor mall or something similar instead. When you get tired, you can sit down and people watch. Or even move onto the next option.

Change Your Scenery

Changing the scenery can be a great way to get over a block. Sometimes a new atmosphere is just what the doctor ordered. Whether it’s at a library or coffee shop, a mall or restaurant, the beach or a park, a new atmosphere can provide a fresh perspective. It could even give you the shift in mindset needed to get past whatever hurdle has you stuck.

Rewrite

Sometimes, the problem isn’t where you are now, but where you were. Looking at past scenes and finding ways to change them up can bring to light issues you missed when you were first writing the scenes. Don’t be afraid to make big changes; you never know where one of them might lead you. Maybe it changes your story completely, but maybe it gives you the insight you needed to pick up where you left off and keep going.

Go Out and Do Something Fun

Sometimes, you just need to get away from it all. Call up some friends or family and go out for an afternoon or an evening. Go mini-golfing or bowling, maybe play laser tag or see a movie! Whatever it is, don’t think about your writing. Taking a step back and giving yourself mental distance can put things in perspective.

Leave the Project for a Few Days

Sometimes, you just need to walk away. Let the story gather dust for a few days before coming back to it. If you think of something while you’re on your break, write it down, but don’t worry too much if nothing comes to mind right away. Give yourself a time limit—say, three days—to stay away from your writing before coming back to it and trying again. While you’re away, make sure to keep in the habit of writing, maybe by writing some of those prompts you have saved up or just writing down your thoughts for the day. At the end of your time limit, try again and see what happens.

 

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