One thing that sucks about being a writer is getting writer’s block.
What the hell is it?
Writer’s block is a condition when writers can’t come up with some inspiration to write, and even though we’ve tried all things under the sun, nothing comes up. Some writers can say you don’t need inspiration to write. But still, for some people, it’s difficult to get their butt off to work. And I knew some writers would come at me to say, “Writer’s block doesn’t exist, duh!”
But let’s be real, People. There’s just the time when we feel uninspired, and all we want is to snuggle up in bed with a cup of comforting tea or do nothing at all.
Whatever it is, I think writer’s block is just a term that’s been used in the writing community for a long time. It can be an underlying problem that you’ve had for a long time; and needs a professional to investigate, or it can be another condition that you can easily fix.
First, you need to investigate the cause of your writer’s block. Think about what you’ve been through the past few weeks—or months. It can be grief, it can be burnout from your day job, it can be anything.
If you’ve done identifying the root of the problem, and it likely does not need professional help, let’s try some of my tips to manage it.
1. Accept it
The first thing you can do, and the most powerful of all, is to accept that you’re feeling uninspired.
I know, you may think, “What? But I came here to get some solutions!”
Well, it is a solution. Sometimes, you just need to relax; your body is probably so tired that it affects your mind. Remember that pressure to hit 50k words in a month during NaNoWriMo? It is a good way to discipline yourself, but it’s also a good way to burn your soul out.
Accepting that you may need some rest also allows your mind to get more productive afterward. You should remember that you don’t need to write all the time. You don’t need to write 2 – 10k a day. Only got 400 word counts a day? No problem, you’re great. Write nothing at all? It’s okay, it’s not the end of the world.
Remember, as fiction writers our job includes outlining, developing characters, worldbuilding, researching and daydreaming. Doing one of these things means you’ve done some progress in your project.
2. You’re bored, let’s do another project
One of a dozen reasons why you experience writer’s block is you’re probably bored. If writing is your sole job like it is for me, it’s very likely to get uninspired. Let’s accept the truth that writing is not always romantic like it is portrayed by the media. It is a love-hate relationship sometimes.
Some tips that I practice myself is to let whatever comes to mind take over my body, which in this case, is to start another project. For me, it doesn’t need to be writing. Although it’s been writing another project for the past few months.
If writing is all you want, I suggest you write prompts or poems. It helps, promise! Several nights ago, I didn’t feel like continuing my draft. So, instead of forcing my tired self, I wrote a poem with no intention at all. It made me feel alive again. Try it!
3. Your story doesn’t work now, come back later
I’ve had a dozen of unfinished novels over the past seven years. Why? I found out my ideas just didn’t work, or they didn’t fit my writing capacities at the time.
Sometimes, you need to accept that your ideas don’t work. There’s an underlying problem in your story that needs to be sorted out. But there's a high chance that you don’t know what that is.
Don’t worry, it can’t be permanent.
My suggestion is to move on. You can try a new idea, come back later.
This one is a little different than boredom as I’ve mentioned in number two. With boredom, you can continue your project once it’s gone. But with this one, you’ll need to find the core problem in your idea. It can be found in a week, it can be found in a month, it can be in years. So, my suggestion is to move on while trying to figure out what’s wrong with your idea. Pro tip: don’t stress it out.
4. Write another part of your story
If you persist to continue your novel, I suggest you look at different chapters or parts of it. It is a method that I like doing as well. There was a time when I hated a few chapters of my novel, but I continued.
The solution?
I closed the document and wrote in another POV since my current novel has three points of view. You can write from the middle or wherever you think is the most exciting rather than forcing yourself to write the inciting incident again and again.
5. Keep going
I know I’ve mentioned that you don’t need to force yourself to write. But some people don’t have the privilege to afford it, some of the writers work under deadlines, and they simply can’t spoil their souls to rest.
In this case, you need to keep going. I’ve experienced times when I finished my drafts by dragging myself through them. Just write it, keep going. It’s going to be crap, but at least you’ve got something done.
What I can suggest in this situation is don’t forget to eat some good foods. Cook them if you have the time (and energy!). Don’t forget to take several hours to rest. Coffee is good, but don’t overdrink it.
Remember, your health (physical and mental) is more important than your project.
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