It's a feeling I'm sure most bloggers, writers and journalists can relate to. You're up and rearing to go, you sit down, whether it be at your laptop, with your pen and paper or iPad you open your documents and.... nothing. Inspiration fails to strike and you're left feeling like a failure... in fact it is the premature ejaculatory experience most writers will face at one point in their career and you're left genuinely feeling as if you have completely lost your writing ability in the night! The fear sets in, what if I never write again? What if my career is over? What if the inspiration never comes? Well today I am here to share my very own tips on how I get over writers block and some coping mechanisms for when I feel I may never write again.
Step away from the pen/screen;
Although it can be difficult, particularly if you have a deadline to meet but it is honestly the greatest remedy for writers block. Inspiration can strike at any time, any where so get outside, get away from the screens or maybe even just make yourself a cup of tea (and cake) come back in a few hours and I guarantee you'll be rearing to go once again.
Spider diagrams;
These aren't just for school kids and exam revision you know. Write down all of your likes, dislikes, your hobbies thoughts and literally anything that comes in to your head. Take a step back and piece together some post ideas, you may find your most creative ideas come from just pouring out all of your thoughts, and yes I'm even talking about the negative ones.
Draw inspiration from your peers;
For a lot of writers this is a bit of a grey area, but as long as you are careful, do not steal bodies of texts and your ideas are outrightly and obviously your own then you should be home free. What I mean by drawing inspiration is to look at various blogger tags and take part or perhaps try out another bloggers recipe or idea and report back on your blog how you found it (always credit your fellow blogger)
Spend time with people in the great outdoors;
No I'm not talking about going for a hike or on a great adventure (but it would make a great post if you decided to!) Get outside and spend time with your family and friends, catch up with people you haven't seen for a while. People are the greatest sources of inspiration and you never know when it may strike when you loosen your grip!
Take a blogging break;
Forcing writing, as I have said before, can be obvious once re-read, not just for yourself but for your readers. If you feel your writing is being forced then you aren't truly enjoying what you're doing and you'll find you have pretty much lost sight of why you began blogging in the first place (unless of course you're in it for the money / free products of course)
I hope this has given all of you writers currently facing a mental block a sense of calm and ease, we all face it at some point or other - seriously my job just wouldn't be as interesting if I didn't face the occasional road block and the same comes with a good piece of writing. As always I would love to hear your thoughts, how do you deal with writers block or what do you do when you hit a wall and can't seem to get over it? Be sure to let me know in the comments below, come share your thoughts with me on
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Until next time folks, breaking mental barriers.
H.Elizabeth