June 28, 2005

How To Beat Writer’s Block

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 10:49 pm

From: D. Keith Robinson

Over the last few years I’ve developed a few techniques that help me deal with writer’s block (or blogger’s block) that really work well.

I’ve been able to keep posts flowing pretty regularly on a few blogs for a long period of time (years) and for the most part they’ve been pretty good. To do this I need to have something to write about, and I, like everyone else, run into writer’s block every so often. Knowing how to break out of writer’s block and following through are important keys to any successful blog.

Without content, there isn’t much of a point is there?

Tips for getting past writer’s block

  • Write. I know it might sound silly, but the best way to get beyond your lack of ideas is to sit down and write something. Anything. You might end up throwing it away, but it should help get your mind working and hopefully ideas will start to flow.
  • Record all your ideas. Note down any idea you’ve got, as soon as you have it. Keep a list or an archive of these notes. You can then go back to them and mine them for ideas when you can’t think of anything to write about.
  • Ask a question. Either to yourself or as a post on your blog to your readers. Sometimes this will result in a great discussion and it could generate more ideas down the road.
  • Talk a walk. Movement will get the mind working. I like to wander the bookstore. Something about being surrounded by words and books helps me focus and come up with ideas for writing.
  • Start with the title. This is a huge help to me, especially with my blog posts. I get the title first and it sets the stage for the rest of the post. I will often jot down potential titles when thinking of ideas to refer back to when I’m in the midst of writer’s block.
  • Get offline. Go outside, read, meditate, take a nap or listen to some music. Sometimes too much information can really be to much. Free your mind a bit.
  • Try writing something by hand.
  • Comment. Sometimes when I can’t think of anything to write, I’ll go visit some blogs I read and post a comment. After a few well thought out comments, sometimes I’ll have something more to say that I can turn into a post of my own.
  • Go off-topic or out of character. Try writing about something completely new, or try writing as someone else. Get yourself into a creative place.
  • Don’t worry. Sometimes we can be our worst critics. Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes or something you feel you’ve done wrong. Put those out of your mind and write, even if it’s not your best work.
  • Do something easy. Taking care of a task or two unrelated to writing might free your mind enough to be in the right mindset to write.
  • Write, write, write. Again, the best way out of writer’s block that I know of is to keep writing.

Feel free to add your own tips!

Related articles:
Why Dave Barry and Liz Don’t Get Writer’s Block
Writing–Ugh! 10 Reasons to Get Jazzed about Writing
Questions about Burnout and Writer’s Block
10 Ways to Become a Miserable Blogger
Audience Is Your Destination
and for motivation:

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13 Comments to “How To Beat Writer’s Block”

  1. October 7th, 2005 at 11:42 pm
    Questions about Burnout and Writer’s Block » Successful Blog said

    [...] As far as writers block goes. Those tips do help with burnout, and sometimes it takes just one good post or completion of one task to get over it. All the tips I posted I’ve used and they all work. In fact, I actually use many of those techniques on a regular basis. They’re not just for getting past writers block. [...]

  2. October 12th, 2005 at 2:19 am
    JBagley said

    Another tip I find that helps is to talk to a couple of my friends via skype, MSN etc. Everyone has something interesting to chat about and once you get excited about something your friends are doing or you can hear they are excited about your going’s on, the writing juices seem to flow.

    I also find that my mood tends to dictate my writing. Bad mood = less to write about. Good mood = interesting and wide range of topics to write about.

  3. May 15th, 2006 at 5:05 pm
    Consejos para bloguers bloqueados. » BlogMundi said

    [...] Es común y normal que alguna vez te hayas sentido “bloqueado” . Eres incapaz de escribir un artículo porque no sucede nada relacionado con tu blog o porque las ideas se hayan evaporado. En successful-blog nos dan estos consejos, a los que yo añado alguno más. - Escribe Puede sonar tonto, pero la mejor forma de superar la falta de ideas es sentarse y escribir. Lo que sea. Puede que acabes dándote por vencido, pero debería ayudar a que tu cabeza empezase a trabajar y las ideas, con un poco de suerte, empezarán a fluir. [...]

  4. May 17th, 2006 at 10:28 am
    Successful Blog - Writing– The 2 PowerQuestions said

    [...] Related How To Beat Writer’s Block Questions about Burnout and Writer’s Block Why Dave Barry and Liz Don’t Get Writer’s Block The Power Writing Series on the SUCCESSFUL SERIES PAGE Technorati Tags: power writing questions transitions writer\’s block writing series [...]

  5. December 12th, 2006 at 9:55 pm
    harwin said

    Mmm… Good post :) Will watch your blog

  6. April 25th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
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  7. April 30th, 2007 at 3:22 am
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  8. May 2nd, 2007 at 8:38 am
    Evsionlab.com » 16 Must Read Articles For Bloggers said

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  9. June 7th, 2007 at 1:33 am
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  10. July 14th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
    Tips: Blogging like the Pros | krakoo.com said

    [...] How To Beat Writer’s Block Liz Strauss (Successful Blog) [...]

  11. August 4th, 2007 at 12:09 am
    Blogger’s Block-Busters - Zeezeeg.com said

    [...] are other ways to beat a blogger’s block.  You could try the tips mentioned or develop your own to know which works best for [...]

  12. August 8th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
    Great Tips on How to Deal With Bloggers Block said

    [...] How To Beat Writer’s Block “I’ve been able to keep posts flowing pretty regularly on a few blogs for a long period of time (years) and for the most part they’ve been pretty good. To do this I need to have something to write about, and I, like everyone else, run into writer’s block every so often. Knowing how to break out of writer’s block and following through are important keys to any successful blog.” [...]

  13. March 10th, 2008 at 3:01 am
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