Monthly Archives: September 2008

Writer’s block is the bane of every writer’s existence. Even the best of us will experience it from time to time. Writer’s block is like a stealthy cat, lying in wait for the perfect moment to pounce. When you least expect it, it will seem as if the well has gone dry.

Except it doesn’t have to. With a few strategies, you can avoid writers block. You can avoid it so well that you’ll be itching to sit down and write each day.

There are many things you can do to avoid writer’s block. I’ve tried many of them, and here are the ones that I find work the best.

1. Use an outline. Each day, when I sit down to write, I already have an idea, an outline, that tells me where my writing is heading. It isn’t always a laborious outline like the ones we had to create for English class. It can just be a few words on a paper. I just have enough written down that I know what to write about. Today, I know I’m going to write about how Marvin knew that Raul was the culprit in a crime for the penultimate chapter of my book.
2. Use a writing warm up. I have a book of prompts, and each morning, if I need to; I use one of them for a ten minute warm up. I go through the book in order, starting at the beginning and working to the end. Otherwise, I’ll waste my writing time reading through the prompts, deciding which one I like best.
3. Choose a contest and write for it. Sometimes when I’ve finished one project and I haven’t started on another, I spend a couple of weeks writing for a contest prompt. Contests are terrific sources of idea inspiration, and they’ve also taught me how to meet deadlines.
4. End each day’s writing on a cliffhanger. I try to end each chapter on a cliffhanger, so that my readers will keep turning the pages. When I end my writing day on a cliffhanger, that makes it so much easier to pick up and begin writing the next morning. I just dive right in where I left off.
5. Keep a list of ideas. I keep a file on my computer as well as a file drawer of things I want to write about. When I need a boost, I open a file, pick a subject, and off I go.
6. Again, use an outline. I say this twice, because that is the best way for me to avoid writer’s block. My worst writer’s block happens when I’m still in the outlining stage, not the critical deadline stage. When I’m outlining, I’m still stirring the creative cauldron, so there are many ways to kick-start your writing at that point. I play “what if?” games, I draw mind maps, I throw in a new character, put in a plot twist, whatever. When I’m in the outlining stage, anything goes. I can always strike it out of the outline if I don’t like it.

There you have my top five ways, plus one repeat, to beat writer’s block. If you have any tricks of your own, feel free to share them.