5 Tactics To Help You Beat Writer's Block

Are there days that you just don’t feel like writing that article, that story or that thesis? I know I have days when I don’t feel very motivated. I don't want to get out of bed. The world seems too large and too scary.

These last couple of weeks I’ve had so much else going on that’s been really hard for me to sit down and write a blog post (although I did somehow manage to finish a draft of my third novel.)

So here are 5 tips to write even when you don’t feel like it. If you’re just feeling blah.

Take the Time to Write

You need to carve out a large part of time in your calendar. And when I say carve out time I suggest you physically put a line through that block of time on your calendar.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a physical calendar that you hang up on the wall or one in Google. You need the visual stimulus to remind yourself that the time is to be spent for writing and nothing else.

I would suggest you figure out how much time it takes for you to write whatever you need to and then double the time you think. This will allow you to effectively wrestle with whatever creative resistance you have and give you enough time to get into the flow of the job.

I know sometimes I become busy and try and fit my writing into an inappropriate time slot and it almost never works.

It’s almost like meditation.

You need to clear your mind and focus on the task at hand. Everybody has worries, things on their mind, tasks to attend to but you need to allow yourself to put all that stuff off and concentrate on the task at hand.

Write An Outline

I’m going to say right up front: I’m not a big fan of outlines. I don’t like following a rigid pattern but an outline will streamline the writing process and make it easier.

Ernest Hemmingway is supposed to have said, “There is nothing to writing. All you need to do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

Writing an outline will help staunch the wound.

I believe part of writer’s block is that when you sit down and write your mind is trying to do two things at once: it’s trying to formulate the overarching idea of what your writing and it’s trying to figure out what word order you’re going to use.

Often what slows writers’ down or grinds them to a halt is when they try to do both at once.

No matter what anybody says, our brains can’t multitask effectively. Something always suffers.

An outline will help you focus on one thing at a time. You’ll able to coral your ideas and then work on putting them into clear sentences.

It doesn’t matter what you write—a blog post, a thousand page novel, a thesis, or a screenplay. You will find the words come much easier on the page.

Block Out All Distractions

I find even the smallest distraction will destroy my concentration and will slow down my writing.

That is why most writers do their best work either early in the morning or late at night. They don’t have to contend with emails, phones or neighbours thumping around upstairs.

You need to put your phone out of arms way and turn off your computer’s internet.

Jonathan Frazen, award-winning novelist, famously rips out the wireless card from his computer and superglued the Ethernet port to remove all temptation. He also removed Hearts and Solitaire from his hard drive.

Use Headphones to Listen to Music

This is definitely connected to number 3 because it will help you block out distractions but there is another reason too.

Neuroscientists have stated that our brains are hardwired for music. From our earliest ancestors we have been creating and listening to music.

Therapists use it to help treat their patients. Music moves us in ways nothing else does. It can cause us to cry, to feel joy; it can calm and relax us.

If you’re feeling uninspired try listening to some classical music. My personal favourite is Frederic Chopin's Nocturne. No matter what it always puts me in a creative mood.

In fact, it is very hard not to feel creative when you hear the works of Mozart of Beethoven—and science backs this up to be true.

Set a Writing Goal.

Again you want to have realistic writing goals.

Stephen King writes 2,000 words a day but you’re not Stephen King. You probably have other things to do: a family to attend to, a full time job, dinner to prepare, a mother who keeps calling.

I would suggest that you don’t set an arbitrary goal but consider what else is going on in your life. Figure out what you think you can write and then half it – at least at first.

You should write your goal down on your calendar or on a notepad and then write down how much you actually did write. At the end of the week review it and see how you did. You’ll feel more motivated if you see your goal in front of you.

Have I missed anything? Are there any tricks or tactics you use to inspire you to write even when you don’t want to? Let me know!

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Joel Mark Harris is a Canadian writer, marketer and speaker (@joelmarkharris)

He is the proud founder of Writers' Labatory and Scene2Studio. You can download your FREE Content Marketing Tool Kit Here

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