I'm a writer. I write every week for the Odyssey, I write papers for school, and I write for fun when I have the time. There's all different kinds of writers with many different writing methods, styles, and preferred genres, but there's one thing that unites us all: writer's block. If you're a writer who hasn't experienced writer's block, I'm going to assume you're lying. Especially at this time of year, writer's block is fairly common for me. Luckily, there's plenty of tricks to push through it, or at least buy yourself time until you're inspired again.
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It seems unlikely, but sometimes we just forget how to write. At least, we forget how to write well. Reading, especially reading something from an author that inspires us, can get us back into the swing of things.
Sometimes, as writers we focus too much on the end product and we forget that every amazing work we've read started as a blank page and there is lot of writing that didn't make it to the final product. It's important to take a step back and remind yourself that what you write does not have to be grand or profound just yet. If you start writing, you'll find your groove eventually.
Not all of us are so impassioned that we can write 85 papers back to back. If you've been at your computer (or notebook, or typewriter) for hours and nothing is coming to you, just get up. Try taking a walk outside or hanging out with friends. That's where the best inspiration happens anyway.
Have you ever noticed how much you can write right before a deadline? That's because your brain knows you have to get it done. Try setting a bunch of small, achievable deadlines for yourself. Lack any kind of self control? Ask a friend, or another writer, to hold you accountable for that page a day you know you should be writing. Keep in mind that what you write doesn't have to be gold, it just has to be words that could maybe form a coherent sentence one day.
The hardest, yet probably most effective, way to get past writer's block is just to write. So what if it's not good? Writing several bad paragraphs that you may be able to edit later into one decent sentence is better that staring at that awful blinking cursor on a blank word document.
Most importantly, do not be too hard on yourself. Everyone gets stressed out at times and, as counterintuitive as it may sound, thinking about it too much will only make it worse. Don't be afraid to ask other for ideas or just go on hiatus for awhile if you feel like you need it. Also keep in mind that beating writer's block doesn't always mean finishing the project you're working on. At least in terms of writing you do for yourself, that excuse isn't going to work on that ten page report. Maybe that project isn't meant to be finished, or maybe it's meant to be finished a few years from now when you pick it back up.
