Techniques to Overcome Writer's Block
BY CHARLES GOULET
Every writer, young or old,
amateur or professional, will experience that dreaded of all
possibilities — writer’s block — that time when ideas are
absent, words will not come, and the writer’s confidence is
shaken.
What can the writer do? Here
are a few suggestions that might be fitted to each writer’s
situation.
-
Write fast and free — write
anything. Even this will not work some time.
-
Write in a journal. Many
writers use this to assure that they will have something to
say.
-
Talk into a tape recorder and
play it back; then write it down.
-
Review old material, a
discarded article, or any other manuscript.
-
Switch to an entirely different
genre. Try something that you have never tried before. If
you write fiction, try non-fiction and vice versa.
-
Do something physical. Take a
walk, play a game, do push-ups. Get your mind off writing.
-
Read a new article, a new
story, or a new book.
-
Catch up on your bookkeeping.
-
Talk to a writer friend.
-
Work on your website, or build
one.
-
Write your great ideas down.
This is important. Although we believe we will remember it,
often we do not and it may be gone forever.
-
Be careful where you stop —
stop your daily writing before whatever you are writing is
finished.
Not all these techniques will
work for you, but one might although you must remember that
writing involves hard work and dedication, seldom inspiration.
Keep writing!
Charles O. Goulet has a BA in
History and a BEd in English Literature, so he writes
historical novels, most based on Canadian history. Check out
his
website and
blog.
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