Writer’s block sucks. There’s no easy way to say it. It’s frustrating, discouraging and it makes you feel like you have wasted tons of time. I get it occasionally now, but I used to get it all the time.
My first book took over fourteen months to write, which felt like forever ago now. When I experienced a mental block that would not allow me to write, I would go for a walk or sit and watch people at the park. Sometimes a movie would help me relax, and the creative juices would begin to flow again. Everyone’s solution to curing writer’s block is going to be different. Today, I go out of my way to avoid writer’s block, and this is what I have done to prevent it.
The first thing I did was to set a soft goal. What I mean by a soft goal was one that was possible to make, even exceed, but not one that I would punish myself for not making. I set my goal at 1000 words a night; I write after work until bedtime. To some of you that will sound lofty, to others, it will seem like too little, for me it was just right. The actual goal is not as important as having one, and you can adjust it if necessary. The important thing is to establish a habit that spurs you to write every day. For me, having a routine like this helps me keep moving forward, it encourages me to take action.
Every word counts. If I cannot move forward on my story line, I can write in my outline and refine some ideas in it in advance. If that doesn’t grab my interest and pull me in, then I can write more on another story or its outline until I feel more creative on my main story line. Do not be afraid to let your mind wander and change tasks. Again, every word counts, and the more you practice, the easier it gets to overcome or ignore writer’s block.
This blog post, for instance, is 360 words. These count towards my goal even though I far exceeded it today.