Handling Writer's Block

It’s common to all authors and extremely annoying. There are no guaranteed solutions that will work every time without fail, though we desperately wish there were. Quick! What is it?

Well, if you looked at the title of this post you already know the answer. It’s writer’s block, of course.

Since there are no known solutions that work all the time, every time, I thought I could offer a few tips that might be able to assist you in your writing. In hopes that I might have a larger selection of ideas to offer, I asked a few friends, also young writers like myself, if they would share some of their go-to tips for handling writer’s block. I’d like to give a huge thanks to everyone who shared with me! Here is their advice, along with some of my own:

Read

“I like to read other people's stories, and not just published authors, but my friends'. Actually, I would say especially my friends. I think that this helps because I see them working on their projects and it inspires me and gets me excited to share what I have written with them.” - Kamama Deere

“What I like to do is start reading more, or at least immersing myself into fantasy/fictional worlds. Something I also LOVE to do is reread my old writing, just to see how far I've come, or for the sake of getting nostalgic.” - Ellie R. Binkley

“Figure out what it is that is blocking you. Plot? Character development? What happens next? Go read a book you really enjoy and study how the author works with what you're trying to tackle. Or just re-read a good book without trying to borrow writing tips from it. Enjoy rediscovering something you love, and maybe inspiration will come to you that way.” - Serena Stellington

I definitely agree that reading can help you with your writing. Along with the other ideas presented here, reading can help strengthen your vocabulary, introduce you to many different styles of writing, and give you expert examples of different genres.

Take A Break

“Sometimes I write so much that I burn myself out. Sometimes a break is needed so that I can come back with a clean slate.” - Kamama Deere

“Writing should be something you enjoy, so if you're stressing and sweating that you don't know what's going to happen next, just take a break and come back to it. Lots of times, reading helps. And (dark) chocolate.” - Praise Meehan

“Sometimes my ideas get all wound up, and frantically trying to work them out only makes them tighter. So relaxing and pondering about it, or even just thinking about something else, helps loosen those threads.” - Serena Stellington

Yes. Definitely take a break if you don’t know where to go or what to write next, or if you’re just getting bogged down with writing. Even a few brief minutes doing something else can help refresh your brain and help you be able to work out your problems without the quality of your writing or problem solving downgrading.

Acting it Out

“My absolute favorite thing to do, however, is act out the scenes. With or without props, play all the characters, do voices, even come up with outfits, and act out one of my favorite scenes whether written, or simply drifting in the dusty bookshelves of my mind.” - Ellie R. Binkley

“When you're in bed and you can't go to sleep, just play your story in your head like it's a movie. That way you can actually see what your characters are doing. Usually your characters will take it from there.” - Praise Meehan

This method is definitely one that I use a lot. I’m constantly acting out scenes when I can’t sleep, or when I’m walking outside, and these usually end up as some of my absolute best scenes.

Talk it Over/Collaborate

One of the best ways to get out of writer’s block (in my opinion) is to discuss the problem with a friend. For me, this is my cousin with whom I co-author. When I am stuck, I tell her what I am trying to write at the moment and what the problem is. I ask if she has any ideas. We talk about it together and most of the time, we resolve the issue by the end of the day! An added benefit is that while trying to solve one problem, we often get a handful of ideas or discover the answer to another question.

Keep Writing

“Usually I get bored with whatever I'm writing so I start something new. Then I come back to the first story later. Or I look back at previous things I've written. Sometimes it helps to read about something related like a similar character or situation. Or I might make an outline for how the story should go and fill in details. I also could skip ahead to a different part and come back to whatever was difficult to write.” - Carys Dykes

“As I was writing my first rough draft of my book, I would get tired of writing and want to do something else. What helped me keep going was just reminding myself to write… Writing is not easy, but trying to keep at it, telling yourself that you must finish the story might help with writer’s block.” - Evelyn Knight

“When I was writing consistently and I couldn't think of what happened next in the story, I would skip to a part further back… [Or] if you know what's going to happen near the end of your story, go ahead and write that.” - Praise Meehan

“Write a flash fiction. It's basically a mini scene from a story that may or may not have something to do with your main book. Maybe it's your favorite characters trying (and failing) to throw a surprise party for your protagonist. Maybe it's a scene you're dying to write, but you have pages and pages to go before it actually shows up in your book. Maybe you can collaborate with a friend and write a scene together. Flash fictions are a fun, easy way to keep writing without stressing yourself.” - Serena Stellington

“Writing prompts. Sometimes all you need to push through writer's block is another idea or something new to write about… Don't worry about writing well on your rough draft. As long as you spit words onto paper (or computer, since most people type it out) it'll be fine. It's not like you're never ever gonna be able to edit it… If your brain hurts or you don't feel like focusing on the details and being grammatically correct, that's okay. There's always something you can write, whether it's the 5th chapter in your current story or the prologue for a book you'll write when you turn 74.” - Karis Kroeker

I also agree with this. I am currently working on several stories, and while I probably have more than I should in the works, it is helpful to be able to stay in the writing habit and switch between stories when I am stuck on one.

Miscellaneous

“Creating aesthetics and playlists for my characters. This is really fun, and I do it way too often, lol. I find pictures, usually on pinterest, that fit the vibe and aesthetic of my characters and it gives me ideas. I also like finding songs that somehow relate to one of the characters and putting all of them on one epic playlist. Then, I listen to it while I try to write.” - Kamama Deere

“So when I have writer's block, I usually go to sleep. Because sleep always equals a dream for me. Then, I use that dream to my advantage. All of the interesting or cool parts of it, I will write them down, and they may or may not make it into my book, but at least it helps cure writer's block!” - Sophia McCready

“Prayer! Asking God for inspiration and an ease on stress is very important. It's also good to check in and ask Him to help you keep your creativity centered on Him. He is, after all, the Master Creator.” - Serena Stellington

“Worldbuilding. Work on other aspects of the world or kingdom or whatever… You can do so many things with your world other than just writing stories. There are characters to build, laws to write, maps to plan out, etc.… If you don't have a map for your world, I would recommend at least trying to map out the general area. It's much easier to figure out stories if you already have the place itself. That way all you have to do is stick some characters in there and move on to the writing part.” - Karis Kroeker

“Don't be specific. About anything. I often get stuck on certain scenes or conversations that I just. can't. figure. out. and it's much easier (for me at least) to just slap a "<Character 1 and character 4 have a convo about where to go next>" than try to figure out the complicated details.” - Karis Kroeker

Well, I hope that among these tactics you will find at least one that will help you get past your own writer’s block. And if you have any advice of your own, feel free to put it in the comments! The list of tips for handling writer’s block can always be added to. And above all, keep trying!

-Auriel