Overcoming Writer's Block

These Are MY Methods

Before I get into the ways I combat writer’s block, I want to point out that I’m an amateur writer and these are simply things that work well for me. I can’t guarantee they’ll work for you, but my guess is that when you are looking to break through your writer’s block, you’ll be willing to try anything.

So, give these a try and good luck!

Record Everything

You never know when a good idea is going to pop into your head. I really try and make a habit of keeping a pad of paper and a pen with me as much as possible to jot down ideas. Lately I’ve been trying to carry my camera around as well, as sometimes I’ll see something that sparked an idea and want to take a picture of it.

If you can make a habit of quickly writing down ideas when they occur, you can begin to have a great resource you can refer back to when you’re running out of ideas.

Wander The Bookstore

I love to have words in front of me. I find that when I’m in a bookstore, surrounded by books, magazines and lots, and lots, of words I get all sorts of ideas. I wander through, picking up books here and there, just gathering all sorts of ideas. A bookstore is literally full of ideas and by just being there and keeping your mind open and wandering, you just might pick up a few of your own!

Ask A Question

Sometimes, when I just can’t come up with anything I find it helpful to ask myself questions. I jot down the answers and see if something pops into my head. Lots of times I come up with something that sounds interesting and the next thing you know I have a post to write.

Also, when I’m at a total loss at how to proceed with a post on a particular topic, I’ll create a post that queries my readers instead. This often results in a wonderfully engaging discussion that’s both useful to me and my readers.

This is one of the beauties of the Web. It allows for two-way communication and these kinds of discussions are great sources of content.

Take Risks

Sometimes I’ll be working on an idea that I’m not to sure about. I find that it’s easy to over analyze a post as I’m thinking it out. I ask myself questions like, “do you really know what you are talking about?” and “what if people don’t get it?”

Well I’ve learned that in most cases it pays to just move forward. Some of these half-baked posts have turned out to be the most educational. If I post something a bit off, my readers let me know and because I allow comments we can all talk it over until a resolution is formed.

Sometimes the best way to learn something is to make a mistake, or just put yourself out there. Having said that I feel it’s important to make sure your audience understands your motivation. If you are unsure of something, or just gathering information—say that.

Don’t write like you know what you are talking about if you have no clue. Your readers will see right through that.

Take Advantage of Creative Highs

This is important.

There are times when I will be simply flooded with good ideas. I make an concerted effort to take advantage of those times. I get out a pen and paper, or sit down at the ‘puter and just write. I don’t worry if it’s rough, I just get those ideas down.

Even if I don’t turn them into gold right away, I keep those ideas for use during creative lows. I do the same thing when designing, if that helps put it into perspective.

Get The Title First

Sometimes coming up with a good title will lead to more and more ideas. There are times when I just sit down and brainstorm titles. Just the other day I did this, I came up with:

• Turning Problems Into Opportunity
• Strategies for Lifelong Learning
• Content Management Without a System

All of these could be expanded into great articles. A good title can be a way to encapsulate an idea without having to go through and fully work it out.

Sure some of these will be duds, but you’ve got to start somewhere.

Pay Attention To Reader Feedback

I really do my best to read and understand most of the feedback I get from my readers. I can’t say how many of my favorite writings have come from something a reader suggested, or mentioned in feedback.

If you look hard enough and know your audience, you can get all sorts of ideas from feedback.

Become a Commentator

If you read something you find interesting and want to make a comment on it, one of your options is to create a post or article of your own stating your opinion. This is actually quite common, and if the writer’s opinion is valued, can make for quite an interesting read.

For example, if Digital Web were to post an article talking about the latest CSS techniques, it would be interesting to read what Doug Bowman and Eric Meyer had to say about it.

I don’t do this a whole lot, but it is a good way to keep yourself in the groove when you can’t think of anything 100% original to say.

Go Off-topic

For me the more I write, the easier it is for me to write and come up with meaningful things to say. Often, when I’m writing about something off the subject of Web design I get ideas for Web related posts.

If nothing else it helps improve my writing and gets the creative juices flowing during those times when I’m just not able to think of anything meaningful to write about.

Use Real World Stories

Many of my posts come from me jotting down something that happened at work. Often these start out pretty dull or meaningless, but they help to get me thinking. Other times they prove to grow into something very interesting and timely and become some of my best posts.

Take A Drive or A Walk

This is probably my most effective way of dealing with writers block, especially when used in conjunction with some of my other techniques. What I’ll do is just get up and get out, either from the office or my house, and get around. I try not to think about anything in particular, at least not at first, but I observe my surroundings and pretty much just let my mind wander and hopefully the ideas will come pouring in!

Keep Writing

So there you have it. I hope if you’re reading this, looking for ideas or ways to get around writer’s block, that there is something in there that’ll prove useful. As a final piece of advice I’d suggest to keep writing.

Writing itself can be a great cure for writer’s block, so if you can’t think of anything to say, just sit down and write anything that comes to mind, chances are, if you stick with it, a good idea will show itself sooner or later.