Writers’ block comes for us all.
Sometimes we just can’t write for no apparent reason, and moving past that can feel like the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do.
Thing is, there probably are reasons you’re finding it difficult, so the first thing I want to say here is that it’s alright not to write. Unless you’re contractually obliged to, which I find can be a pretty good motivator, you do not have to get words out at any particular frequency. Yeah, it’s useful to give yourself targets to make sure you get things done, but sometimes those targets can feel more important than the actual writing, and then they’re not really helping you. The point is, you are valid and you have worth regardless of whether you’re putting words on a page or not.
That said, I know sometimes I can get really down on myself if I’m not writing, and getting past the block is the only way to boost my general self-esteem and mental wellbeing. So, when I’m not writing and I know it’s not just because I’m in desperate need of rest or because other things in life are taking priority, here are four ways I try to beat the block.
Way 1: Make yourself accountable
This is probably the most reliable method for me, because I am terrified of letting people down. I’m also self-aware enough to know that I suck at internal motivation: I am really, really bad at doing anything just because I want to. I am far more likely to do something if there’s an external factor.
Someone else depending on me is probably the most effective one, but it’s also kind of scary. Fortunately, you can lean on friends without imposing severe consequences for failure. Just telling someone what you’re working on and what you aim to achieve, then setting the expectation that you’ll check in to let them know whether you met that goal or not, can be a good way to introduce an external motivator. Plus the support of friends is always just a good thing.
If you want to be more committed about, it the single best motivator I’ve found for getting things done is collaboration. Properly joining up with someone else on a project means I need to get things done, or we as a group won’t be able to move forward. I recommend pairing with people who understand when the schedule does slip, of course, and starting out low-stakes. Don’t go setting ambitious immovable deadlines until you’re absolutely sure you’ve got the project management skills to meet them. Seriously, though, besides the get-things-done factor, collaborating with other creatives has been some of the most fulfilling work I’ve had the chance to do, so I highly recommend it.
I’ve also found that ways of tracking my word count can be helpful external motivators. Something like WriteTrack shows me how many words I need to write per day to reach a goal by the deadline, which means I get instant visual feedback about whether I’m achieving that or not. Simply having that tracker in place acts as a way of making myself accountable, introducing something beyond myself that tells me to get things done. (The caveat here is that this is only really useful for drafting. If you’re planning or editing, word counts aren’t the most helpful thing to track. It’s important to know what actually matters to your current goals.)
Way 2: Try forcing it for a limited time
I hated the sound of this when I first heard it, but I have to admit it works.
See, just getting started is really difficult. Just taking that first step is probably the hardest bit. Before you begin, it’s very easy to switch focus, get distracted, decide to tie up some other loose end first. But once you start, stepping away from what you’re doing feels much less enticing.
So sometimes it’s useful to make yourself just do it for two minutes. That’s all. Just get everything set up to begin, close everything else down, but tell yourself you’re only gonna spend two minutes doing it. You just have to make yourself go for a hundred and twenty teeny little seconds, then you can be done and go back to whatever else you were doing.
What I find usually happens is that I keep going. It was just building up that initial momentum that was the struggle, but once I’m rolling, it’s a lot easier to keep rolling.
But if after two minutes it’s not happening, you can absolutely give yourself permission to stop. You’re not feeling it, and that’s OK. Maybe there are just too many other things on your mind, so you can always try again another time. But hey, you gave it a go for two minutes, and that’s a win.
Way 3: Write something other than The Thing
I started writing this article so I wouldn’t have to work on the book I’m actually supposed to be editing right now.
Yeah, it’s procrastination, but at least I’m getting something else done that’s useful and needs doing. As an added bonus, I’m also still getting to flex the writing part of my brain and build up that momentum I mentioned in Way 2. Now I’ve started on this, I’ll probably feel more like moving on to writing something else when I’m done!
Maybe you’ve got a blog where you can talk about your writing, or maybe you review other books. Maybe you journal about your day or your feelings, or maybe you have some short stories or poetry you want to write. Writing something a bit smaller, a bit more manageable, can be a good way to get back in the groove. (Although, if you’re like me, it often also ends up spiralling into more big projects!)
Way 4: Do literally anything else
I’m serious.
There’s, like, science or something to show that your brain needs to take time out from thinking directly about problems in order to come up with good solutions. Citation not available, but a professional coach told me that, so I’m inclined to believe she probably did have a reliable source.
The thing here is that you can give yourself permission to take a walk, watch a show, read a book, get a hot drink, have a bath, exercise, whatever, not to abandon what you were working on but as a way of getting different bits of your brain working on it.
I know I’ve come up with most of my good ideas when I wasn’t thinking directly about whatever it was. I was just kind of doing a different thing – one that didn’t take up all my attention – and absently noodling on the thing in the back of my head, and then some new thought came to me that I couldn’t have forced by just sitting there and trying to think really hard.
So, look, it’s not accepting defeat to get up and walk away for a bit. It might be the best way forward.
And those are the tips!
These have worked for me in the past, and maybe they will for you too. Always worth trying as many new things as possible to see which ones suit your style of thinking and doing, I reckon.
For more tips on various things about writing, visit my tips and resources page.
Chris Durston 