Tackling the Block: Tips and Tricks to Overcome Writer's Block

Writer's Block is that lovely thing that happens when you can't move forward in a piece for some reason. Like any other activity, there are times you get jazzed up about your writing, some times it will be tough, but still enjoyable, and times when you would rather do something, anything else. Here are some tips to get you through those times when you stare at the screen with that blank Hindu cow look on your face.

Start In The Middle--A great many writers get inspiration for a single, really cool bit. This particular point, image, scene, or dialog is what got them excited in the first place, but they start writing and realize that they need to set this bit up for their audience. So they start at the beginning, trying to work their way up to this really cool thing they have in their head. Sometimes, this works, but often it leads to a sort of mental fatigue as you wade through the preliminary paragraphs or even chapters to get to your awesome stuff. If you find yourself wading through, your readers might, as well, and they will stop reading long before they get to the good parts.

Do yourself a favor and write that piece you wanted to first, and then worry about connecting it to the larger tale.

Freewrite If You Get Stuck--What happens if you are writing along and suddenly find yourself out of material? This can be disconcerting, especially if you felt you had a good head of steam. You might also be having a bit of "first paragraph paralysis," where you aren't sure where to start. When this happens, take a fresh sheet of paper or open a new word processing page and freewrite. Jot down all the ideas you had up to this point for where you wanted the piece to go, organize stuff into an outline, white a silly little change of scene involving the character, bounce ideas everywhere and see what sticks. You might find the answer to what you're stuck on in this.

Recharge Your Creative Batteries--Maybe you're getting stuck because you're feeling drained. That's fine. Instead of writing, try another activity to relax. Read something in the genre you're working on. Do a bit of research. Exercise. Go on a walk. Get a snack. Whatever it is you do, though, keep your piece in the back of your head. Seek out inspiration, and you'll find it in unlikely places.

Brainstorm With Others--Other people are an amazing resource, because not only do you get to test-drive your piece in front of an audience, you also get to solicit suggestions from them. And even the act of vocalizing your problems can help you think of a way around them.

Work On Other Projects--It might be time to work on something else entirely if you get really stuck. You might be subconsciously bored with the piece, in which case plugging away at it when you don't want to is not going to be productive. It might be best, if nothing else has worked, to shelve the ideas for a while. Get back to it when you have a fresh idea for it, instead of trying to force something that just isn't there.

So, these are the tips that have worked for me. What sort of methods have helped you, when you need to tackle the block?