7 Ways to Curb Writer's Block

I'm convinced that anyone who writes long enough will experience writer's block. It's that old familiar feeling of blankness that comes over you when trying to write something. At times, I will sit with a pen and paper for a hour just to end up with a few scribbles and what looks like an unfinished game of connect-the-dots. That's writer's block. There are many causes of writer's block and not all blocks are created equal. Blocks can last a day, week or even a year. According to wikipedia, there are two primary reasons writer's become blocked: a lack of inspiration and being distracted.

LACK OF INSPIRATION: What does it mean to be uninspired? For me, it's when I'm tired or stressed out and I cannot elaborate on my thoughts or feeling. Some writers become uninspired by illness or depression. A life changing event, like the loss of a relationship or death of a loved one may bring on a block too. Inspiration can be zapped by financial problems and family responsibilities as well. If you suddenly feel uninspired to write, it's time to do some soul searching and uncover which life challenge is zapping your writing abilities. For some this may require alone time, while others may need to seek help from family and friends to become inspired once more. Sometimes a country drive or a trip to the museum is enough to get your inspiration for writing get back on track.

BEING DISTRACTED: Some people I know can write under any conditions. The house could be on fire and they will still be seated at the computer, typing away. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people. At least not in the beginning of an article anyway. I need a quite environment that's void of interruptions to concentrate on my thoughts and fully develop ideas. A sleeping cat next to my chair seems to help as well. The list of ways to become distracted while trying to write are endless. Family, cell phones, email, pets, finances, housework, and 9 to 5 job are just a few distractions that take us away from getting something solid down on paper.

The best way to cure writer's block is to find the root cause and create a system of writing to help pull you out of this wordless underworld. I've outlined seven strategies I use to combat writers block:

Journal writing is what I like to call "free writing." It's were you write about anything that comes to mind and keep it in a booklet or journal. This type of writing doesn't have to be formatted or formal and is a great way to keep your pen moving. For me, it's inspirational. I can express my feelings and develop new ideas. It's become a way to experiment with different types of writing, like poerty and short stories as well. I like to write at least twice a week, if possible. Journal writing is a great source of ideas for my hubs. My journal is messy. But no one is going to read it so it can be unorganized. I write about daily events, worldly events and sometimes I even rant a little. Journal writing heightened my desire to write more.

The number of subjects we can write about are endless. But choosing a subject is personal and can be difficult. It helps to be knowledgeable about your subject or be willing to learn more as you write. When choosing a subject, you make a commitment to it and focus all of your energy in one direction. Sometimes when a writer says they cannot find anything to write about, even though there are lists of topics right under there nose, it's because they are not ready to make a commitment to one subject. Often times a writer knows what they want to write, but isn't ready to write. A subject may be deeply personal, needing to be pealed back in layers over time. I believe timing is everything when writing. Our passions fluctuate. It helps to write when our convictions are strong about our subject. That way some of our spirit will show up in our writing. It's a good idea to create a list of subjects you could write about and add to it as new ideas come along.

Once I've made a commitment to one subject, I like to "mind map" the subject, getting a visual idea of what road the subject might take. Mind mapping is somewhat like brainstorming an idea. However, in mind mapping you write an idea in the middle of a piece of paper and let the subsequent ideas branch out from the main idea, grouping thoughts on the fly as they develop. Mind mapping can be as simple as my example at the top of this article or it can include graphics, color coding, pictures and more. In business, mind mapping techniques are used to solve complex problems. Mind mapping is the true test of our subject. It can show us what direction our subject is going in, what format we will write in and where our knowledge might be lacking. Mind mapping shows us how bridge one idea to the next, giving our writing better flow.

Even if you are quite knowledgeable about a subject, there is still merit in research. New discoveries come out all the time on every subject matter. Your writing will be more credible being in the know. Look to several sources if possible. Check out what other writers have written. Research can back up your claims in an article, if needed. You don't have to believe all of the findings on a subject. In fact, many great articles are written about disapproving the latest research and our strong opinion against it. Research doesn't have to be something we read about it can be based on our own personal experience. Sometimes the knowledge we acquire through our walk in life makes for better writing than any book source can.

Once I've mind mapped and researched my subject, I like to take a little time to process my thoughts. By sitting on my newly acquired direction and knowledge, I can clearly form my own opinions and separate the good apples from the bad, so to speak. I believe taking time to fully process research and to form an opinion gives any writing an edge of professionalism. It lets the reader know the author's point of view. Everyone who writes sends a message out into the world. Thinking before writing adds substance. This way, no one will walk away from our writing not knowing what message we are trying send.

Mind mapping is great, but sometimes in addition to this, a formal outline of our subject is needed. Most remember learning to outline a subject in high school. I use the hubpages format to outline my articles. Each capsule has a header topic. Then I write my ideas under the topic in an a, b, c list format. Once I'm ready to write, I develop my thoughts under each topic and subtopic. It's amazing how quickly my article grows this way. My thoughts flow better with organization. I can write a little or a lot, depending on how much time and energy I have and return at a later date. Outlining our subject this way helps the reader as well. Visually, they know when a transition from one topic to next is coming, within the article. An outline is the writer's and readers road map.

Everyone has heard the phase "Thinking outside the box", meaning to think in an unconventional way. Well, I like to refer to "writing outside the box" as writing outside the computer. Sometimes changing the physical location of where we write can improve our writing. Occasionally we need to be taken out of our comfort zone so we will look at the world from a different perspective. At times, writing outside the box has had a positive effect on my writing. We absorb the world around us without even knowing it. Weather permitting, I like to write outside. The fresh, clean air and endless view enhances my thoughts. I also like to write in a coffee shop with a note book and paper. The aroma of coffee beans coupled with the voices of strangers is somehow inspirational.