How many of us have suffered from writer's block? How many of us struggle to put words on the page even though we desperately want to? I know that I've suffered from frequent writer's block. It stops me dead on whatever project I'm working on and I can't seem to get up the mental energy to start it again.
I've read a lot of articles and blog posts about how people combat writer's block. I've even read a few things that say there's no such thing as writer's block (there is). All of the articles and blog posts shared one thing - they all had suggestions on how to get out of writer's block. Some of them were even similar to each other. But I thought I'd share my technique for getting away from writer's block.
First, read back through the project I'm working on. It could be the characters are telling me that something isn't right and I need to change it. Find where the disconnect is happening and start writing from there. Sometimes this means whole chapters get rewritten, but once I locate the disconnect and fix it the words start flowing again.
Second, choose another project I've got and work on that instead. Sometimes you just need to walk away from what you're currently working on. You need to let it rest and let your mind work on the scene without obsessing over it. That's when you should work on any additional little (or big) projects you have.
Third, walk away from writing for a while completely. I don't mean for months on end. I mean for a day or two. Go read a book. Watch a movie. Go for a walk. Get away from your story completely for a day or two to let your mind go fallow and your story sit without any kind of work being done on it. When you get back to it, read over the last little bit to pick up where you left off. Then start writing again. This has been a huge help when writer's block has crippled my writing.
So, what are your ways of combating the dreaded writer's block?
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