If you enjoy writing, you have probably experienced a little thing called writer's block. It will hit at the most inopportune time, like when your five page research paper is due in six hours, or when you have a deadline coming up that you have already sort of missed. It strikes fast and hard, and it can be stressful and annoying and everything in between. So, how do you deal with it?

First, calm down. Because the faster you try and make your brain think, the more it will shut down. And when you can't think properly, whatever you are trying to write is going to suffer the poetic silence of a tense mind.

Second, make sure your writers block isn't because it is 3:00 AM and you haven't had any coffee. Although, maybe you shouldn't drink coffee at night anyway, because jumping out of your seat at two in the morning really isn't any better.

Third, maybe you can't write because your heart isn't in it at the time. I had a great idea for an article, but I couldn't get the right pictures in with it, and I couldn't find the right words at the time to write it, so I knew it wasn't going to be a strong article if I tried to force it. What I did instead brings me to my next suggestion.

Fourth: bring in ideas from the world around you. The world we live in can be ugly and harsh, and maybe that is what needs writing, but it is also a world of ever-changing beauty and glory, spinning around a galaxy too wide to reach that is waiting for the next masterpiece to grace it. I guarantee that there is something worth writing about in this amazing and dynamic planet.

Fifth, be patient. Just like Rome wasn't built in a day and the Great Wall of China didn't stand overnight, you probably won't have that 'aha' moment in the next three seconds, so step back, clear your mind (do a cartwheel or something) and relax. Let go of all the thoughts rumbling around in your head and breathe out. Count to fifty and pick up your pen or keyboard or pencil or typewriter if that's your style, and begin again.

Then, I think an idea will come to you, even if it is the most basic and simple idea you have ever had, it is worth sharing. Maybe your next door neighbor was also struggling to pick out their favorite ice cream flavor, or maybe your pastor needed to hear about the fluffy dog you saw walking in the park after the funeral they just spoke at. You never know how a simple combination of twenty-six letters written in just the right way could affect the people around you, and maybe, just maybe, your biggest struggle will be the best thing you have ever written. Be proud of the small hurdles, be amazed by your accomplishments, and be amused when writer's block turns into a beautiful work of art in the midst of dark frustration.