How can I beat my writer's block? My head is overflowing with ideas, but I can seem to get it to paper.?

Answer 1

Here's what my famous-writer cousin has to say about writer's block. Mark has been a freelance writer for over 20 years ... (he owns the copyright to this article, but gave me permission to post it to the Internet many moons ago) ...

Writer's Block

by Mark Henricks

Understand that writer’s block is a myth. There’s no such illness. Sometimes the work of writing is easy and pleasant; sometimes it is more difficult and less fun. If you decide that you have writer’s block every time the words don’t flow in a rapid stream, you’re making a mistake. Because there is no such thing as writer’s block.

Writer’s block is also a damaging myth. It gives writers the feeling that there is something outside themselves—a psychological condition, some genetic limitation, a germ, perhaps—that is keeping them from writing. Actually, there is nothing outside yourself that can keep you from writing. Overwhelming distractions can be tough to deal with, true. But there are always locked doors, sabbaticals and earmuffs, if that’s what it takes. Perhaps physical paralysis might be said to constitute writer’s block. But even then, there is dictation. Quadriplegics write by indicating letters on a board using eye movements. So forget about writers’ block as something existing outside yourself. There’s no such entity.

Now the question becomes: How to make writing consistently easy and fun? Here are five ways:

First, try to pick topics that you enjoy researching and writing about. Sure, most of the writing work available is not on topics that most of us find enjoyable. But there is always some work of the type you want to do. Find some. Get some of it. If you can’t get enough fun work to fill your day, learn to find the enjoyable part of the work you can get. For instance, one common feature of almost all writing is that it requires you to talk to a lot of people while researching your topic. Talking to people is inherently enjoyable. Enjoy it.

Second, make sure you know your topic before sitting down to write. One of the most painful things about writing is the self-doubt that often afflicts the writer. Minimize self-doubt by being sure of your material. Research your topic fully. You’ll be more sure of yourself when writing and do a better job. Now the question is: When do I have enough research? That depends on the length of the writing project, the audience and, of course, the topic. There are some rules of thumb. I try to have approximately 10 times as much research material, measured by pages, as the finished article will be. That means for an article that will be four double-spaced, typed pages, or about 1,000 words, I want to have 40 pages of interview notes, web site printouts, copies of articles, press releases, product brochures or whatever else is involved. This is a rough rule, of course. Try it and refine as needed. Another rule of thumb is to stop researching when you start hearing and seeing the same material repeatedly without learning anything new from your interviews and reading. Still another is to interview one person for every 250 words of your planned article.

Third, outline your work. Outlining your writing projects means you always know what comes next. This alleviates the questions that can cause you to get stuck—Do I want to say this now? Or later? Outlining ends those doubts. If you simply can’t figure out what to write at the beginning, you can skip to another section of your outline. Use the outlining function in your word processor. Create an outline with one item for each paragraph of an article. For example, a typical 1,000-word article will consist of roughly 20 paragraphs of 50 words each. So your outline should consist of about 20 items or lines. The outline helps you budget your writing—you’ll know you need to write 50 words for each item, on average, in order to cover everything you need to and wind up at the end with the right length. Outlines work the same way for books. Budget one outline item for each page of the book and you’ll do fine. The bad news about outlining is that it’s a boring and tedious job. But it’s worth it because it injects the fun back into writing.

Fourth, never accept an assignment without a deadline. Deadlines mean you don’t have time to be blocked. Writer’s block may not be an outside entity, but an editor with a news hole to fill is an outside entity, and one that tends to call and e-mail you when you are running late. Having an editor to remind you that something is due can provide a useful spur to action when you are delaying getting started. This can be a nuisance, of course, but it’s not as bad as having some half-completed project hanging over you, getting older and more rotten every day like a tray of leftovers in the back of the refrigerator that you don’t ever intend to eat. A deadline helps you clean them out so you can feel better.

Finally, never stare at a blinking cursor. Or never stare out the window. Or never stare at a blank sheet of paper. Or whatever it is you do when you can’t think of the right word or sentence or lead. Sure, it’s okay to pause for a moment while you dredge up the phrase that’s in the back of your mind. There’s no problem with leaning back and pulling out a dictionary to see if you’re using a word the right way, or hunting up a quotation or odd fact or whatever you think will make your copy sparkle. But don’t sit there for minutes or hours, thinking and waiting for inspiration to strike while the computer hums. Inspiration isn’t going to strike like that. It usually hits you when you’re occupied—taking a shower, driving, shaving, etc.

So if you can’t get started, occupy yourself. Do some more research. Check your outline and see if there’s another section you feel ready to start now. Take a look at your deadline, to see if that motivates you to just get started somehow now.

Never stare at a blinking cursor. If all else fails, just start typing. Get going. And remember that writer’s block is unquestionably and absolutely a myth. Don’t believe for a second that it can or ever will influence you.

Answer 2

Hi there. As a published author, I can tell you that there is no such thing as writer's block. That's a cop-out some writers try to blame for being unproductive on any given day, week or month. Why is it a cop-out? Because writing is a creative process, not a nine to five job.

Creativity is not a trait you can turn on and off at will. I wish that were true, but it simply isn't. It comes upon you when something external triggers an idea or an emotion or a conversation in your head that you, as the writer, can actually "hear" your characters saying. That's when you rush to the computer or a note pad or a recorder and make notes as fast as you can so that the fresh idea doesn't disappear before you can get it into your work. Once you have some notes, that's when you allow the creative process to take over. Your notes are the outline, but creativity fills the pages.

So, is it possible to trigger your own creativity? Actually, yes, it is, but not all the time. I sometimes use music in the form of a movie soundtrack to spark my imagination, especially when I have a particularly difficult part of a book to get through. I use soundtracks like "Braveheart" or "Last of the Mohicans" to set a mood in my head and that allows the creativity to be released.

Try that--you may find that you can open a can of creativity at anytime. And don't worry about how many words you write today. Some days, I bang out 500 and I'm thrilled with that. Other days, I get completely involved in the story and end up with 5,000 new words before I am done. Unfortunately, I also end up with days where I write nothing and spend the whole day editing instead. But, then that's part of the writing process too.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your writing!

Jon F. Baxley
[e-mail]

THE SCYTHIAN STONE
THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY
THE REGENTS OF RHUM (coming, fall '07)

Answer 3

You need to relax. Dr. Andrew Weil has a 20 minute cd that is called sound therapy. When I find my mind racing and I have so much on my mind, it's hard when you have to sit down and compose anything. Nothing seems to come out the way you want or you know you have something to say but how to say it. I have found that if I sit down and just listen to this it's amazing. Dr. Weil says that these sounds heal the inner self and helps in ways the conscious mind cannot even imagine. Remember that even the greatest writers in the world have had writers block. Some took to drinking, and some to drugs to help them through these periods. I'm not saying for you to do this, but to say that you are not alone. Sometimes if you get out and not think about writing for a couple of days might also help. This will pass, just relax.

Answer 4

Make a list. Instead of forcing it all out start simple. That way even if you can't get it on paper you'll always have key points so you don't forget.

Also if you just write it'll help. Even if it all sounds stupid, you can always go back and revise. Some of the worst writting becomes extremely helpful or can turn into something better than the original idea.

listen to classical music. It makes you get your mind off of other peoples words. It helps you focus on emotions. This helps me a lot when I write my novel. When you describe how someone feels if you listen to that kind of music you become that person.

Answer 5

Usually doing some "freestyle writing" helps. This is a simple way of getting things out of your head and onto paper. The secret is to literally write what comes to your head. Don't stop writing not even for one second. Just let it flow. You can then edit everything once you have "freestyled" for a certain amount of time. I usually do like 5 or 10 minute intervals. Hope it helps!

Answer 6

You're pressuring yourself. This is what I do when I have artistic block. I tell myself I only have to paint, or doodle ideas, etc. for 10 minutes and then I set the timer. It turns out that I ALWAYS continue working beyond the 10 minutes because I have taken the pressure off and now I want to work.

This also works for cleaning house, or other chores.

Answer 7

Have you read Natalie Goldberg's _Writing Down the Bones_? It's excellent for inspiration and suggestions. She basically says to just write and not worry about what comes out, like loosening up your mental muscles before you work out. Also try writing in different settings like a cafe or diner or park. But mostly just write, even if it's nonsense.

Answer 8

You have to know where you are going first. You must have a goal or resolution in mind and then just decide how you are going to get there.

Once you know where you are heading to just start writing. If a better idea comes to mind then try it. You can always revise.

Answer 9

You must invite chaos into your environment by running circles around a cactus in the center of the room for exactly 18 minutes. Your world will never be the same, and neither will your writing.

Answer 10

Just write down the basic details of your ideas and spend a little time doing research for each idea. Maybe something will just spark your interest in the research and you'll want to spend time writing about it.

Answer 11

Have you tried to create a cluster diagram of your ideas?

This can help you sort out your ideas by putting them into groups of related groups.

Having all of your ideas clustered down on paper in front of you can help you see some themes; some areas of greaetest interest, etc.

give it a shot....you're not doing anything better with your time.
;-p