10 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block

“Never a new idea or stirring thought came to me from without; and such as rose within me were, for the most part, miserably crushed at once, or doomed to sicken or fade away, because they could not see the light.”

― Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

 Writer’s block is as ageless as writing itself  which affects writers and is best described as an overpowering sense of being trapped in the writing process and unable to advance and produce anything new.

Writer’s Block

The 10 ways through which writers overcame their writer’s block are compiled below which can help you to hone those instincts which seem to have been stuck some where at the back of your mind. Hope these help.

1. Create Space in Your Mind; Move Around 

“If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to ­music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don’t just stick there scowling at the problem. But don’t make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people’s words will pour in where your lost words should be. Open a gap for them, create a space. Be patient.”

― Hilary Mantel

2. Never Let Your Discipline Falter

“Discipline allows magic. To be a writer is to be the very best of assassins. You do not sit down and write every day to force the Muse to show up. You get into the habit of writing every day so that when she shows up, you have the maximum chance of catching her, bashing her on the head, and squeezing every last drop out of that bitch.”

― Lili St. Crow

3. Ranting Through Writing 

“Writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all”

― Charles Bukowski, The Last Night of the Earth Poems

4. Remind Yourself of the Passion of Writing

“Meggie Folchart: Having writer’s block? Maybe I can help.

Fenoglio: Oh yes, that’s right. You want to be a writer, don’t you?

Meggie Folchart: You say that as if it’s a bad thing.

Fenoglio: Oh no, it’s just a lonely thing. Sometimes the world you create on the page seems more friendly and alive than the world you actually live in.”

― David Lindsay-Abaire

5. Keep a Pen and Notepad on You, Always

“Very often we write down a sentence too early, then another too late; what we have to do is write it down at the proper time, otherwise it’s lost.”

― Thomas Bernhard, Concrete

6. Write Anything

“Don’t waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin, and inspiration will find you.”

― H. Jackson Brown Jr. 7. Shift Genres

“Write me a poem.

Write me several poems.

A muse me.”

― N’Zuri Za Austin

8. Introspect for Ideas

“Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite:

“Fool!” said my muse to me, “look in thy heart, and write.”

― Philip Sidney, Astrophel and Stella

9. Sit in Silence with Yourself

“When words don’t come easy, I make do with silence and find something in nothing.” 

  ― Strider Marcus Jones

10. Overcome the Fear of Being Judged 

“All writing problems are psychological problems. Blocks usually stem from the fear of being judged. If you imagine the world listening, you’ll never write a line. That’s why privacy is so important. You should write first drafts as if they will never be shown to anyone.”

― Erica Jong, The New Writer’s Handbook 2007: A Practical Anthology of Best Advice for Your Craft and Career

“I used to be afraid about what people might say or think after reading what I had written. I am not afraid anymore, because when I write, I am not trying to prove anything to anyone, I am just expressing myself and my opinions. It’s ok if my opinions are different from those of the reader, each of us can have his own opinions. So writing is like talking, if you are afraid of writing, you may end up being afraid of talking”

― Bangambiki Habyarimana, Pearls of Eternity  

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