4 Easy Ways To Overcome Writer’s Block

Few things are worse to a writer than being taunted by a blank screen or page. You wrack your brain trying to dislodge a solid idea, only to find your muse has gone on sabbatical without telling you. I’ve found myself in this scenario more than a few times, and I’m sure you have too. I’ve found a few ways to overcome writer’s block when it comes knocking at my skull.

How To Overcome Writer’s Block

Overcoming writer’s block is easy when you use these four tips:

1. Be Original

One of my biggest writing issues when engaging in creative writing is coming up with original ideas that aren’t dragged down by clichés. If you share in my pain, try making clichés work in your favor by combining them and coming up with something new. Maybe your story’s “chosen one” is actually the villain rather than the hero or savior. If you know your story has a cliché, have the characters remark on it, much like the reader might. This adds a bit of humor and an interesting twist on your story.

When it comes to writing professionally for business, originality still comes into play as a great way to overcome writer’s block. Instead of rehashing the same old guide for how to do something related to your products/services (that everyone else is doing, too), try taking a more original approach. What does your product or service NOT do, and how can you turn that into a positive story for your reader? What are things your readers should STOP doing to help them save money, improve their business, etc.  For more ideas on headlines that help draw someone’s attention, check out this clickbait titles article.

2. Find Fresh Ideas

It’s hard to have a cliché in your story if you don’t even have a story for the cliché to inhabit. When your idea well has run dry, take a step back and look around you. Think about the experiences you’ve had in your life (or that people you know have had in their lives) that might make for a good story. You can also turn on the news or check out news sites to see if anything sparks ideas. You can also go out for a walk in a public place or sit down in a coffee shop and make up stories for the people you see. What do their clothes, movements, gestures and general moods say about them?

In a professional setting, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel over and over again. If you’ve come across someone else’s idea that you like, you can use that as a jump-off point for how to overcome writer’s block. What are aspects of that idea that the original author didn’t cover? What related issues could your consumers and potential customers benefit from? Write about that.

3. Look for Writing Inspiration

When you feel a story is fighting back against you when you plunge into it, it can be like getting the keys to your dream home only to find that someone has changed the locks. When this happens, go back to your notes to remind yourself of why you wanted to write the story in the first place and use that as a compass. You can also write a short story set in the same universe and setting as a longer work to see if that will knock some ideas loose.

In business writing, it’s easy to get lost in the many details that surround an industry. Typically, simpler is better. Instead of trying to impress your readers with every data statistic known to man, focus on a relatable subject and talk personably to your reader. Of course you’ll want to show authority through using statistics, but you can do so with overloading your readers and talking down to them. In order to overcome writer’s block, seek the inspiration of simplicity.

4. Be Motivated by Rejection

If you’re trying to have your work picked up by a magazine, agent or publishing house and you’re getting nothing but rejection letters, use them as a source of fuel rather than a source of frustration. If you’ve received more than a form rejection letter, pay close attention to the comments you received and the reason your material was rejected. You’ll have a better idea of what you need to do to improve your craft and become a better writer. Something else to think about is the fact that rejection is a part of being a writer, so you’re really only paying your dues by being rejected.

Sometimes, if you’ve picked up a freelance or contracted job, you may not be paid at all until the client is happy with your work. While this may be a version of writer’s block that you feel inhibits your creativity, it also is an opportunity to learn more about that client’s style and what they’re looking for in their content writing. If you can learn to master this quickly, you can not only focus your attention more pointedly on topics the client will be happy with but also begin to master the voice the content needs to be written in.

Using rejection as a way to overcome writer’s block in this way helps you to improve the approval rate of your content and increase your long-term earnings.

Overcoming Writer’s Block is Possible!

Think of writer’s block as small brain stumbles instead, that way it doesn’t feel as hard to overcome! If you have any more ideas for how to overcome writer’s block, share them in the comments below!