Do you believe in writer’s block?

Not at all. Have I had it? Of course. 

Writer’s block is a name used for times when writers don’t have any ideas. These times happen frequently but with practice the time it takes to generate new ideas gets faster and faster. 

When you work in an office you don’t get a week off because you can’t think about work. 

As a Doctor you don’t take a month off because you can’t think of treatments.

As a writer you can’t take a year off because you can’t think of ideas. 

I mean… You can do all of that but you won’t have a job to go back to. 

As a writer you have to push through the times when you can’t think of ideas, character arcs or words in general.

Just like an office minion must keep working through brain fog, a doctor must keep searching for a treatment, you - a writer - must keep writing no matter how few ideas or words are inside your brain.

To beat writer’s block you can do a few things:

1. Write nonsense until ideas are sparked. This is a fantastic and common technique writers use - even if it’s just “I have no words” over and over again. Eventually a new word will be written down and another new word and another one. That’s all you need. New words.

2. Go Outside and Try Something New. Maybe it’s a new item on a menu. Maybe it’s a new fitness class. Maybe it’s meditation. Try something you’ve never tried before and put yourself in a situation that makes you a little bit uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable sparks all sorts of emotions and emotions spark ideas.

3. Watch High School Musical The Musical The Series. No joke. This series is all about writing (music). The characters get writers block, imposter syndrome, encouragement, advice - it’s everything you need to jump back into your writing.

Try these techniques out and let me know which one works for you.