Kiss Writer’s Block Goodbye

IMAGE BY DREW COFFMAN

by Kim Niemi

Three-hundred little words. That’s the lower-end length of a typical blog post nowadays.

Some days it might as well be 3 million.

Anyone who has written for any length of time is familiar with that dreaded beast, writer’s block. When you’re on a deadline, it can feel like he’s trying to kill you. 

The anxiety, the frustration, the rage – “Writing is a creative medium! It can’t be harnessed and controlled!” You may silently fume, picturing your unsympathetic employer or editor.

Except that it can. You just have to work at it.

It sounds like a contradiction, but the cure for writer’s block is writing. You need to be writing regularly. Daily. While writing is a creative endeavor – yes – it is as much habit as it is skill. And if you want that elusive muse to bless you with a dance, you’ve got to show up to the ballroom.

Sure, there will be days when she sneaks in to drag you out of bed, begging you to tango, but mostly she wants to be courted, treated like a lady – only then will she profess her love and become your loyal companion (it’s possible I’m watching too much Dancing with the Stars, but you get my point).

INSPIRATION IS ONLY HALF THE BATTLE

Here’s some shocking information: writing doesn’t happen while you’re jogging. It doesn’t happen while you’re cleaning your bathroom, or walking through a museum. Yes, you may be graced with ideas in those situations, but writing only happens when you put your butt in the seat, put pen to paper or hands to keyboard, and start stringing words together. And that is the hard part.

But it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few ways to get that muse to stop playing hard-to-get:

• KEEP A LIST - When you do get ideas while jogging, etc., record them somewhere – best option, text them to your email. Then they’re all in one place, easy to access and you have a list of things to choose from when you’re having a dry spell. 
  
• WRITE ANYTHING - Write 300 words a day about ANYTHING, whether you publish it or not. Maybe 300 words about why your eldest cat is so freaking adorable isn’t going to work on your fashionista blog, but it will reinforce the habit of daily production. 
  
• GET OVER THE NOTION OF “BEING IN THE MOOD” - Put your butt in the seat, and write, whether you feel like it or not. Most of the time writer’s block stems from stress or fear, and avoiding writing only exacerbates the problem. If you don’t think you have anything to write about, then write THAT. 
  
• I have literally written paragraphs which read, “What the hell am I going to write about? I hate this. Why don’t I have any ideas? I wish it wasn’t raining so damn loud. Stupid rain. I hate it. WHY IS IT RAINING AGAIN????? Ugh! This sucks. I suck. Writing sucks.” But then a few more self-flagellating words in, I ALWAYS (hear me, ALWAYS) come up with something solid. Try it and see. 
  
• WATCH OUT FOR DISTRACTIONS - It’s easy to say, “I need to get the blood pumping – a quick walk around the block and I’ll be ready to go.” I’m not saying that can’t be helpful, but be careful not to go out for that walk, and then come home and throw on General Hospital, and then remember you need to finish the laundry, and then it’s time to pick up the kids from soccer practice… If you go off to get your energy up, make sure you come back and then sit down and write. 
  

And keep at it. Three-hundred little words. Every day. Like it or not. Soon enough you’ll see that you’re able to write any time you want or need to. 

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