Writer’s Block Busters
When your job revolves around putting words on the page, there’s nothing worse than staring at a blank screen.
Writer’s block can feel like a mountain standing between you and the end of your novel. In fact, many authors report that writer’s block is the reason they gave up on their publishing dreams. But this roadblock doesn’t have to derail you.
My favorite methods for overcoming writer’s block are techniques that allow your brain the space it needs to subconsciously work through the issue without you putting extra pressure on it.
Take A Shower: The relaxing atmosphere of the shower is the perfect environment for allowing your brain the mental space it needs to work through plot problems and be creative.
Take A Walk: The fresh air, paired with the endorphins from the exercise, is a great combination for helping our brain be creative. Plus, who knows what inspiration you’ll encounter on the way!
Read A Book: Try reading something in the same genre to help your mind subconsciously work through your own plot problems and spark new ideas.
Write Something Else: Try one of the following prompts to get your creative juices flowing.
Sometimes, especially after we’ve been struggling with writer’s block for a while, the blank screen becomes a physical barrier we need to overcome. At that point, the goal becomes to just get words on the page to help remind us that writing is possible.
For those situations, here are some of my favorite writing prompts. These will help you be creative and get some words flowing. These are my go-to prompts when I have writer’s block!
The point of these prompts isn’t to create literary masterpieces or to be the specific answers to any problems within your novel. These prompts just allow you to create space for your brain to relax and have some fun putting words on the page, which in turn allows your mind to open up and get back on track. Often, while writing something completely unrelated, you’ll subconsciously come up with ideas for your novel.
Don’t overthink these prompts! Open up a document, pick a prompt, and just write whatever comes to mind! There are no right or wrong answers, no judgments, and no consequences here. Write until you feel you’re done, or until you feel a spark of inspiration calling you back to your novel.
Grab a newspaper (or pull up two news sites). Take two headlines from two different pages and create a story that links them together.
Open the newspaper (or a random news site) to a random story and use the headline to tell a story about the main character from your novel.
Rewrite a scene from your novel from the POV of one of your own family members.
Imagine you were a guest or onlooker at one of your own major life events. Write the scene from their POV.
Pick the “luckiest day of your life” and rewrite it as the unluckiest day of your life.
Imagine if you woke up tomorrow with no memory of your past and didn’t recognize anything around you. Write the scene.
Make a grocery list from your main character’s POV.
Pick a random object and write a scene from that object’s POV.
Rewrite the last scene you wrote, but change the location and the time period.
Try to create a scene that centers around the last piece of dialogue you actually said out loud.
