Tag: Writers Block

Writing Rut? I Hope This Helps

When I first started blogging, I wondered how in the world I would come up with enough topics to write about. I remember thinking to myself that if I had kept going for years, wouldn’t I run out of things to say?

I have been blogging on WordPress for four years and on Medium for only six months. In those four years on WordPress, I have experienced writer’s block a few times. I had to take a break from WordPress for several months a while ago after some things happened in my life. After this, I then vowed to keep going strong no matter what life threw at me and I have ever since!

My Thoughts 

Usually, I have so many thoughts and ideas that I can’t get them down fast enough. I typically write down a title and a brief description so that I don’t forget what I wanted to say. I then attach a picture and save this in my drafts.

There are times, however, when my mind is blank, and I cannot come up with anything to write about. Often this happens when I am tired or very stressed out. If I am experiencing a lot of anxiety or I am not in a great mood, that truly affects how clear my mind is and it can make writing very difficult. There are several things that I do to get my thoughts flowing again. Here are some ways that I get ideas for my next blog posts!

Coming Up with Ideas

  • Think of past life experiences
  •  Write about your thoughts and feelings
  •  Ponder over questions that you have about life
  •  Sit in nature and let creativity find you
  •  Be inspired by comments that others are sharing
  •  Reading other stories often trigger a story idea of your own
  •  Write about daily happenings in your life
  •  What can you teach the world?
  •  Let us hear about an interesting or odd experience

Get Started!

Most importantly get started! Pick up a pen or get out your laptop and let your mind wander and take you somewhere. If all else fails, if you have older work that you haven’t published for the world to see, you can get that out in the open. You never know who might be needing to see your story!

I truly hope that you have found at least one of these tips helpful! As writers, we go through many seasons, some full of thoughts and others where we become quieter and more introspective. It’s important to listen to our bodies, but also know when to keep following our passion. An idea will come to you sooner or later and you will be on your way again!

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How I Overcame My Recent Writer’s Block

Writers indeed love to write, it becomes part of our souls, and most of us would feel lost without it. What happens when we no longer can think of what to write, or how to write it?

As writers, I am sure that many, if not most of us have succumbed to writer’s block. It may feel like you don’t know what to write, how to say it, a lack of motivation, just feeling blank inside your mind.

Causes of Writer’s Block

It seems that writer’s block creeps up on us during times of high stress, lack of sleep, when we are very busy, and even when we consistently write without giving ourselves a break.

In my mind, writer’s block is almost like a coping mechanism for our brains. It is a way for our minds and bodies to tell us to slow down and take a breather. Sometimes writer’s block may simply exist without a reason that we can think of.

My Experience

I have dealt with writer’s block several times in my life, including the most recent being within the last week. I love writing so much, I thoroughly enjoy it and it drives me to create more and more content. I often write at full steam because I have so many ideas and thoughts that I can’t seem to get them out fast enough.

Last week, slowly by slowly, my mind started thinking slower, my ideas didn’t come to me, or they didn’t flow. I would sit in front of my laptop staring at a blank white screen, my fingers ready to fly across the keyboard, but instead, they paused. It was almost like my brain wasn’t focusing. The passion was strongly there, but my brain was working against me.

I was in overdrive; I didn’t take the time to slow down and rest. I didn’t take the necessary breaks to allow my mind to recover from creating content and to keep up with life in general.

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

I have found several great ways that get me going again when my brain stops working in my favor:

1. Don’t force or fight the feeling. If you feel resistance from your body to write, then listen to it. Pushing yourself, in my opinion, makes writer’s block last longer.

2. Rest for as long as you need to. Make sure to do activities that help you relax, unwind, and rest your mind.

3. Try not to dwell on the fact that you are stressing about not writing. This will only make matters worse; you need to save mental energy for that next masterpiece!

4. Create a list of ideas or drafts that you would like to write about one day when you have the mental capacity and drive.

5. Get plenty of sleep and spend time outdoors! We can’t function very well on little sleep, also spending time out in nature is a great mood-booster and one that will help get your creativity flowing again.

Can You Relate?

Writer’s block can be very challenging, especially if it lasts for a long period of time. The most important thing is to listen to what your body is telling you and resist the urge to keep going and pushing through the feeling. Some persistence is great, but sometimes your body is telling you to slow down for a reason, partly due to being overloaded. Have you ever dealt with writer’s block? How did you overcome it?

Know that with everything in life that nothing lasts forever, sooner or later, you will be back doing what you love, and you might even come back stronger than ever!