There are 138 articles on this title. You are reading the article ranked and rated #3 by Helium's members.
The inner critic, the voice that says you can't do it, or I'll bet you can't do it again, sends more writers out to buy grapefruit or clean toilets, or take out the trash, or do ANYTHING but write.
Writer's block is a symptom of perfectionism. Here are a few tricks for getting over writer's block.
1 Lower your expectations
The poet, William Stafford, when asked if it was true that he wrote a poem every day before breakfast, said that it was so. How can that be possible, the student asked? Simple, replied Stafford. Lower your standards. Stafford never expected every poem to be perfect. But, he published over three thousand poems before he died at age 79, and left boxes full of others.
2. Write a letter to yourself
David Morrell, in "Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing," recommends writing a letter to yourself before starting to write each day. I have read that John Steinbeck wrote a letter to his editor describing what he was going to work on that day. What is nice about this is that it involves writing. Once you get going, put the letter aside and write.
3. Clustering
Clustering is articulated in Gabriele Rico's "Writing the Natural Way." One idea is written in the center of the page (a nucleus), and then other words and phrases are written and circled quickly in clusters connected by lines to form idea chains until something clicks and away you go. It is a handy way to vanquish the inner critic by using visuals and patterns.
4. Timed Writing
Natalie Goldberg in "Writing Down the Bones" recommends writing with a timer, in a public place, in small groups if possible. The timer, set to ten, 15, or 30 minute intervals, magically pries open the door to your creative mind. The results will surprise you. You will be asking yourself, where did that come from?
5. Journal
A writer's journal or notebook is not so much a diary as it is an idea book and a resource of captured fragments, anecdotes, bits of conversations, and things that interest you. Ian McEwan revealed in a recent interview in the New Yorker that he keeps a "plot book" filled with two and three sentence memorandums that synopsize ideas for stories. He is never without something to write.
6. Listing
It is fun and liberating to play with simple forms like lists, recipes, questionnaires, resumes, etc. Write about things that surround you: food, tools, animals, or plants. The possibilities are endless. Tony Morrison says her writing always begins with a question.
7. Rewrite
The hardest part of the writing is often staying in the chair. Not getting distracted. Sometimes it is best to rewrite something before confronting that blank sheet of paper.
Anne Tyler says, "I would advise any beginning writer to write the first drafts as if no one else will ever read them - without a thought about publication - and only in the last draft to consider how the work will look from the outside."
Remember, says columnist, Suze Orman, "writing is hard work, not magic... It's also about making a serious time commitment and getting the project done."
But, perhaps my favorite quote is from Margaret Atwood. "If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word."
Learn more about this author, Richard Max Detrano.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:
Pandemic; Writer's Block
Participating in NaNoWriMo, so far, has been a day-by-day learning experience, with a huge curve.
by London Kea
You sit at your computer with your head clasped in your hands and stare at the empty screen. Burrows of frustration deepen
The inner critic, the voice that says you can't do it, or I'll bet you can't do it again, sends more writers out to buy
Writers are artistic with words the same way artists may be artistic with their watercolors. Where the artist may find beauty
Some Roman or other wrote that writer's itch is an incurable disease. The problem is that the symptoms can be very painful.
View All Articles on:
Getting over writer's block
Add your voice
Know something about Getting over writer's block?
We want to hear your view.
Write now!
Featured Partner
Text and Academic Authors Association
The Text and Academic Authors Association (TAA) is the only authoring association devoted exclusively to serving text...more
hide