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10 Tips for Overcoming Writer's Block
Here are some tips for dealing with writer's block, based on my own writing experience and the most common patterns I encounter with coaching clients.
Creativity is an individual thing, and 'how to' tips are no subsitute for a live coaching conversation, but all of these have been useful to different writers at different times.
Are the tips helpful? Let me know! You can post a comment on my blog.
And if you'd like to find out how one-to-one coaching can help your writing, feel free to send me your query and I'll get back to you.
1. Make a deal with your
Inner Critic
All
writers have an 'Inner Critic' or editor at the back of the mind. We
need one, to maintain quality control. The purpose of your
Inner
Critic is to make you a better writer - but sometimes s/he gets a bit
carried away, and starts pulling your draft to pieces before you've
even got it down. So every time you try to write, you end up
listening to a nagging inner voice telling you everything that's wrong
with your work and why you'll never cut it as a writer.
If this starts happening, imagine sitting down with your inner critic over coffee, and make the following deal:
- Thank the Critic for trying to help - but point out that the criticism is having the opposite effect
- Ask for time and space to write the draft first - save the critique for afterwards
- Ask to hear about what's right with your work as well as what's wrong
- Ask for feedback that is specific (what needs to be improved?), action-oriented (what can you do to improve it?), and focused on the writing, not the writer (don't make it personal!)
- Promise to make time to listen to the Critic and review your work. Keep your promise!
If the Critic starts interfering with your work again, remind him/her of the deal. Once s/he realises you're not going to start mailing any old rubbish off to editors, and you are taking time to review and rewrite, s/he usually relaxes enough to get on with the job.
2. Remember who you're
writing for
Writers
get stuck when they forget their real audience. They get
sidetracked into thinking how the book will look to editors, book
reviewers, the 'literary world', posterity, etc. And it introduces a
false note into their writing.
Who is your ideal reader? What does s/he look like?
How
does s/he feel as she listens to you? What do you want to say
to
him/her next?
3. Sit down
Kingsley
Amis said 'the art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the
pants to the seat of the chair'. Sometimes we get distracted by so many
'important' things that we don't give enough importance to writing. If
this is happening to you, set aside a regular time to sit at your
desk. Even if you 'can't write', stay sitting at the desk.
Eventually a thought will come to you, or you may even start
writing as a distraction, to relieve the boredom of just sitting there.
4. Stand up
Or
you may have the opposite problem - you have been sitting at the desk
too long, banging your head on the proverbial brick wall.
Your
body feels tense, heavy, fidgety. Give yourself a break.
Get up, make a cup of tea, wash the dishes, walk the dog or
nip
out for a pint of milk. Whatever you do, make sure it's
something
that engages your senses and reconnects you with your body.
And
whenever you catch yourself thinking about your writing - STOP!
I
remember this happening to me a few months ago - gradually it dawned on
me that I had been sitting hunched over the keyboard for too long.
I heaved a sigh of relief as I got up from the desk and
wandered
down the corridor to the kitchen. I started chopping
vegetables
and heating some oil in the pan, taking care to focus on the textures,
smells and sounds of cooking. As I fried up the food in the
pan,
trying to get the right balance, I suddenly realised where I had been
going wrong with my writing - and found myself running back along the
corridor to my desk...
5. Imagine you're having a
drink with a friend...
You're
in a bar, on your second drink. You're telling your friend about the
book - what inspired you, what you've written so far, and which part
you're stuck on. What do you
say? How do you make it clear? Is there a simple
analogy
you can use?
Now write down what you just said.
6. Forget about being
a writer
Stop
worrying about what kind of writer you are, whether you
are cut out to be a writer, or whether you are a
'real'
writer or a 'good' writer. When you are thinking about 'being a writer'
you are not thinking about your writing. We all want fame and
money, but that comes afterwards (or not), and has nothing to do with
the actual writing. Focus on writing - the next word and the
next
- and it becomes its own reward. Anything else is a bonus.
7. Leave the house without
a notebook
Writing
can be a paradoxical experience. Sit at your desk, try to
write
and the inspiration dries up. Carry a notebook around and it stays
empty. Or you can be out and about, with no pen to hand - and that's
when an idea pops into your head. Don't worry
about forgetting it - if it's good enough, you'll remember.
8. Get trigger happy
Why
do students take lucky gonks into exams? Why do sports players have
lucky shirt numbers and pre-match rituals? Why do some
writers
work in the same place, on the same paper, the same make of
computer, with the same pen or drinking the same drink?
Are
they all mad?
Or have they just noticed that these little triggers make them feel a bit better, sharper, more focused? Because our minds work by association - reproduce the trigger and the feeling comes back. What are the triggers that work best for you? A particular pen? A favourite kind of paper? A different font on your laptop? A special place to write? Music? Coffee? Deadlines?
9. Talk to other
writers
Friends
and family may be sympathetic but they don't really know what it's
like. Meet up with your writer friends to swap stories and remedies for
writer's block - or even just to have a good moan. Sometimes it makes
all the difference to know you're not the only person who has
experienced writer's block. The more writers I talk to, the more I
realise that the occasional block is a normal occupational hazard. If
you don't know many writers, look around for a good writing class or
group in your area.
10. Have some fun!
When
was the last time you really enjoyed
a piece of writing? What was it like? How did it feel? What were you
doing differently on that occasion? Why not do that again?
Were these tips helpful? Feel free to leave a comment on my blog or ask me how coaching can help your writing.
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Wishful Thinking is a coaching consultancy for creative professionals and the Creative Industries.
Based in London, Mark McGuinness works with individuals and companies across a wide range of media - including design, film, literature, advertising, music, acting, computer games, architecture, marketing, photography, fashion, TV and radio.
As a published poet with a track record of coaching and training for large and small organisations, I offer a unique blend of creative and business expertise. In addition to my coaching experience and professional qualifications I am nearing the end of a part-time MA in Creative and Media Enterprises at the University of Warwick.
Please ask if you'd like to discuss how I can help you realise your creative and commercial goals.