Every writer has had those moments. When you just can't feel any spark for what you started and can no longer find it in you to finish. Whatever you had before, you've lost it. You no longer hold any passion for your story or your characters. (And if you've never experienced any of the above, please give me the cure).
Over time, I've managed to curb those moments a bit. Of course nothing that I've tried is a guaranteed remedy for writer's block, but it certainly helps a lot of the time. So I thought I'd present some things that I've tried over the past few years that have proven to work for me. For the most part in this list, I am referring to writer's block in fiction writing. However, there are still several items in the list that could be extended to other works as well.
1. Make a playlist. Or two. Or a lot.
Lots of authors actually do this, and now I do it too. Whenever you come across a song that you find matches the tone of your story, add it to a playlist and listen through it when you go back to write later. It's not just the music itself, but the lyrics could also provide inspiration for you to write when you listen to them. A couple of years back, I started compiling songs into playlists on Youtube. A playlist per story. Now I do it so often it's like second nature for me when I'm writing. "Oh, this song is giving me the same vibes as my story right now, I'll add it so I can hear it later when I'm writing." It's a simple habit that can benefit me in the long run.
2. Imagine your characters in various different scenarios.
Think about how your characters might act when they first wake up in the morning, how they eat, their temperaments in the simplest situations. This is a very small thing, but it could help you get to know your characters better and how they might interact in settings outside of the events in your own story.
3. Contemplate your characters in alternates universes from your original story.
Hopefully this doesn’t get you so immersed as to inspire spin-off stories in the middle of writing your current story. Again thinking about the multiple ways your characters could be presented may get you to grow a deeper understanding of them.
4. Draw inspiration on the mood of your writing from TV shows.
Seeing things in motion helps when you're trying to write interactions between characters or between a character and their environment. TV shows bring other people's stories to life too.
5. Draw inspiration from other writers. Read, read, read.
Sometimes it's actually good to take a break from writing and take the time to read instead. I've found that my writing showed significant improvement after I spent time reading the works of other authors. Find what they did well and figure out how they managed to do it so that you can later apply it to your own writing. Even reading your old writing pieces and seeing how much you've improved could provide the motivation needed to spark your passion again.
6. Learning to capture the mood by listening to soundtracks.
Playlists are created to give a general sense of the piece as a whole. But sometimes when you're writing specific scenes (like a serious scene or a sad scene), it very much helps to have some soundtracks playing in the background that match the tone you're trying to set.
7. Keep a small notepad with you everywhere.
This may not be as helpful for some people but for me with the bad memory it is a real memo life-saver. Now I say notepad, but it could be a physical notepad or even the notes app on your phone, it doesn't really matter. The point of the notepad is to jot down any random thoughts you have throughout the day that you want to remember later when you have the time to sit down and write. There have been way too many times in the past when I had a lightbulb idea, but had no immediate access to my laptop or a notebook to make a note of it.
8. Outline, outline, outline.
It seems like such an obvious idea, but I always brushed the possibility aside when I was younger. I saw myself as the type of writer who couldn't do outlines very well. I always hated it in middle school when teachers would assign us outlines before we move on to drafts because I had way too much to say to put in an outline. When I would start writing for something, I had to put in all the details I was thinking of to develop my ideas rather than simply putting them down. It made my first drafts relatively fleshed out, but the organization was not so much there. Planning all my writing through outlines in high school and onwards made my stories so much more organized. Once I created the outlines, I would often realize that it would be better to have a certain scene or idea in another chapter rather than my original plan.
9. The best fiction comes from real life.
They don’t say that for nothing. I actually really love this saying and I very much apply it to my writing constantly. Pay attention to what happens around you and to you yourself. You might find that you can draw from real life events and incorporate them into your story.
10. Draw inspiration on settings or scenarios from images.
Stimulating the other senses are important too. Earlier I talked about how it helps to immerse yourself audibly. Well it’s just as helpful to inspire yourself visually to prompt that flow of words that you often may need help sorting in your head. It often becomes easier to formulate what you want to say when you’re looking at it. Our senses work hand in hand very well in that way.
