Are you struggling with writer’s block?. Are you staring at a blank screen and the words won’t come. Don’t let this get you down. It happens to the best of us at one time or the other.
Have you heard the saying, “don’t lose your muse”? Sometimes you just can’t bring yourself to write. It can be frustrating, I know. I’ll show you five ways to greatly increase your productivity and flow of writing. You’ll be back in the groove before you know it.
When an idea pops up, write it down
It’s maddening when you need to write but you just can’t hone in on an idea. You have a deadline to meet but your brain is boggled and you can’t get rolling. The best way to handle this type of writers’ block is to have a lot of ideas already stored in what I call my block box. Ideas will come when you least expect it, and you must be ready to receive and store them. It’s a good idea to keep iPad and pen handy at all times. You can also store your ideas on your phone or iPad
Be confident with your content
Most of us will experience periods of indecisiveness with our writing We think it’s not good enough, but here’s the thing, it doesn’t have to be perfect. If you waste all your time striving for perfection, no one will ever get your message. Just get your message done as best as you can, do your spellchecks and punctuations and let it go. It’s your message that is most important.
Time Your Task
Be sure to a lot plenty of time to create your article, post or whatever you’re writing task is. When you are pressed for time it creates stress and stress shuts down creativity. Sometimes we just have to move to another project for a little while. When you come back to your original project you may have a whole new set of ideas. Writing and research take time so don’t rush it.
A lot of writers’ block doesn’t occur because you can’t write anything. It’s because you’re stuck while you’re working on a particular piece of writing. If you have more than one type of assignment, be far enough ahead in your schedule that you can work on the project you’re most inspired by today. If you do only one kind of assignment, look to diversify you’re writing responsibilities so that you can avoid unnecessary writers’ block and significantly increase your productivity.
Headlines Help
When you have a new writing project to do, take some time to reflect and research. as you do your research and collect ideas, write an outline for your project. Have a captivating and engaging title in mind and a few great headings that will let your readers know what the article is about. Make it easy for the reader to skim the article so they will know the direction the article is going.
Step away from whatever you’re doing and do anything that’s creative
Paint pictures, write poetry, design images in photoshop, make a scrapbook, or if you’re masculine, build something in the garage. Work on another creative project for a few hours or days and then go back to writing. When stuck, paint paintings or work on your website or blog. Jumping to other projects activates your creativity. The key is to keep exercising the creative part of your brain and eventually you’ll tap back into the flow of writing.
Do freewriting
Spend ten minutes or more a day writing whatever comes off the top of your head. Ignore punctuations, just write freely. Allow it to be random. You might change subjects many times. You might mix fiction with journaling or just vent frustrations. The process trains your brain to tap into the words inside your head and gives them a place to live on your computer screen or journal. Do this for a week and then return to you’re writing project. An alternative is to freewrite fifteen to twenty minutes to get your thoughts out and the immediately return to writing your book or article. Some of my freewriting entries inspired new ideas.
Move Your Body
Dance, sing, meditate and take long deep breaths. A relaxed mind is more open. An open mind is more imaginative. You can focus longer when you are in a peaceful state. Sometimes just step away from writing, do some yoga poses and breathing exercises, then return to writing in a more creative state of mind.
Mind Your Mdia
If you’re struggling fr ideas, pick up a few newspapers and magazines to browse through. You’re sure to get a batch of great ideas this way.
Dismiss distractions
Turn off the phone and unplug from the internet. Clean up your work space. A cluttered desk puts the mind in a state of confusion. Carve out some time in your schedule just for writing, at least three to four hours. Ask loved ones to honor your space so you can work without interruptions, or write when everyone in the house is sleeping. Giving yourself time and space is essential to staying focused.
Be at your best
Discover what time of day you are your best self and hone that time to do your creative writing. My brain is most creative early in the morning. I get up very early. I use my head phones to listen to theta beats. I usually write for two or three hours during this time when I am completely relaxed and focused
My brain or subconscious mind is also extremely creative while I sleep. I keep a pad and pen near my bed so that when I dream ideas, I write them down right then. If I don’t, I forget them by the time I wake up in the morning.
Follow the steps above to help keep your creative juices flowing. The long you use these suggestions, the easier they become and before you know it, it will become habit.