Sometimes you stare at a blank page and try to write something and this happens.
This wasn’t even funny in my head before I wrote it
Writers block doesn’t mean nothing comes out. It just means what comes out is rubbish. Its nonsensical, its outdated and it may have worrying racial undertones. You just can’t seem to get the good ideas tap flowing, instead you sit there writing drivel or staring at the wall – physical wall or facebook wall, lets face it they’re basically the same thing.
Look another person I sort of know had a baby!
So you need to find ways to deal with it. The muse was the name for the greek goddesses that gave inspiration, and sometimes we all lose touch with our inner goddess, that doesn’t mean you just give up. Instead you start without her and hope she joins in. There are some well known tactics to do it:
1. Switch activities
Its the reason this article exists. Not feeling your jokes? Write something serious. Not feeling any writing? Do some admin you’re delaying. Not feeling anything apart from the meaninglessness of existence? See point 3.
2. The brain vomit
This is a really interesting experience, the stream of consciousness. This may require a coffee to get started. You just start writing and you don’t stop, just keep going, no editing either, you take that blank page and use your words to turn it into an alley wall sprayed with vomit and piss. It might take two whole pages, or three, or ten, but you will eventually get somewhere different and disturbing. You can start off just talking about what you’re doing:
1st page
But that quickly changes…
8th page
3. Quit
Who needs to write anyway? Who needs to do anything? Just give up, its so much easier. After all look at all the people that gave up. Read they’re inspiring story. Whats that? You can’t find any books about those people?
Honestly this can sound lazy but sometimes you just need to chill out, let the brain reorganise itself and the thoughts to clear. That said it should be once every now and then, if you have “writers block” six days a week you may just be looking for an excuse to play Zelda Breath of the Wild.
4. The reward
This you should do always, but especially when writers block has hit. You lower your standards for the day and say you’ll reward yourself for less work. So all you have to do is complete one small task and then you get to relax guilt free. Play all the Zelda you want! It can be surprising because:
(Read the next sentence in the voice of someone narrating a childrens book.)
You’ll find you sometimes do a little more writing than you first expected…
So theres a few tips to help your inner goddess slay the writing block demon.