3 Quick and Easy Tips to Help Cure Writer's Block
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When I have visited schools as an author, one of the questions I almost always get is this:
How do I overcome writer’s block?
Interestingly, it’s not just the students who ask this question. It’s the teachers, too!
What is it about the creative process that makes our brains sometimes get log-jammed?
I have a couple theories, but my answer usually involves a combination of creating a really great story outline, and getting into a writing habit that works for you.
Spoiler: waking up at 4am to write isn’t the solution for everyone!😊
But in all the years that I’ve been working with creatives since leaving the classroom, I think one thing I’ve learned goes beyond the logistics of getting the story down on paper.
Creativity isn’t just habit. It’s a living, breathing part of us that needs to be nurtured.
I can honestly say that this is a sentiment that sounds good in theory, but often falls on deaf ears.
“Nurturing our creative side” sounds like a bunch of fluff that no real-life writer with a family, job, or any other commitments has time for.
As with all things, however, we make time for what we make time for. I find that creatives who make even the smallest amount of time once a day, a week, a month, to just sit in a creative space and allow their minds to wander are the ones who deal far less with doubt, frustration, and writer’s block.
Here are my three tips for nurturing your creative practice and overcoming writer’s block for the long term:
1) Find a journaling method that works for you
As a writer, people often ask me if I have volumes of diaries and journals. The answer is no, I don’t.
I actually find the act of writing down the events of my day to be tedious and unproductive for me. If you love journaling, great! If not, try a different spin on it.
A few years ago I began a gratitude practice with my daughter at bedtime, inspired by my Evergreen Authors business partner, Josie Robinson. This practice did wonders for me to keep myself positive, focused, and tapped into what really matters.
Most importantly, it stimulated me creatively and helped to cure my writer’s block.
Here’s a link to her journal if you’d like to use it to inspire your own writing practice and boost your well-being:
2) Read outside your genre
I cannot tell you how many creatives I talk to read voraciously, but only within the genre they write. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to read the genre you love! But don’t discount books that might challenge your way of structuring and conveying your own creative work.
For example, one of the books that changed my way of thinking about creative work is Michael Pollen’s In Defense of Food. Not only did I learn a ton from that book, but I loved how the author wove in history, fact, and his own voice into the narrative.
I certainly don’t write in the food genre, but I think of that book when I’m structuring my own creative work and ghostwriting for others.
3) Get accountable
For some people, this is going to mean joining a writer’s group. For others, it’s going to mean creating a daily creative habit. (For more on how to do this, read Atomic Habits by James Clear.)
Part of being a creative person means knowing yourself well enough to know what will work for you. If you’re an extrovert who thrives off being in community with others, find or create a group of people you can meet with once a month to talk about creativity.
If you’re an introvert who really needs their own space to think, listen to podcasts on your own time that nurture creativity. One of my favorites is Courageous Wordsmith hosted by award-winning author Amy Hallberg.
When I give talks to writers, I often end with this quote:
