In a perfect world, a writer will have a burst of creativity as soon as his pen touches a paper. But in a real world, this does not always happen. Many times, in fact, you will find yourself rolling down the floor, trying out different coffee concoction, or even hitting the replay button of your favorite Adele’s song just so you can put yourself in a writing mood.
Not being able to write even though you want to is common, and it happens even to the most famous writer there is. To give you a little consolation, here’s what The Write Practice has to say:
Steven Pressfield calls this the Resistance, a malicious, sentient force actively seeking the destruction of your art. I call it the ugly middle. Whatever you want to call it, the truth is that when you reach this point, you’re close to a break through. It’s always darkest before dawn.
Push through. You can do it.
So in times when you would rather sulk in a couch, here are some remedies to a writer’s block:
Just, show up.
By all means, just show up even if you do not feel like working. If it is a day job or if you will be working with a co-writer to finish the work, you have to show up. Nothing is worse than not doing the work that you are expected to perform that day. So just show up, grab that piece of paper and force your brain cells to start writing. If you don’t get it done right now, then when are you going to finish it? Setting a deadline for yourself is a great way to get things done.
Here’s a good advice from Time Management Ninja:
Tasks without a deadline often become “forever tasks” that never get priority in your day.
Ensure your most important todos always have a specific “to be completed by” date.
Make your priorities real by always setting a hard deadline… and stick to it.
Read.
Another way for you to enjoy a rush of creativity is to start reading. It is safe to say that even while you cannot write, you can always read. In fact, most writers agree that to get them in the jive for writing, all they simply have to do is read. Reading is a great way to inspire you and it surely improves your writing skills. How about making it a habit to read books? There are people who would set a goal of reading at least 100 books per year. How about you, how many books do you actually read in a year?
Reward yourself for the job done.
Do not beat up yourself too much; it is okay to reward yourself after writing something. Rewards are a great motivator. You can reward yourself with simple things like a cup of your favorite coffee or a good massage. You can also get yourself a good chair or a nice app that makes your writing easier. Other times, you can go for a bigger reward so you can treat yourself to a vacation after writing a book.
Go somewhere.
Sometimes, all you need is a change of scene in order to write better. Getting a new environment is entirely helpful. So go to a coffee shop if you may but be sure not to be tempted on doing other things. For example, one common problem of people working at the coffee shop is that they simply cannot stop eating or talking to a comrade they meet inside the shop!