How To Push Past Writer's Block

Writer's block can happen to anyone. So what do you do when it happens to you?

It can be a frustrating situation. The stress of which is likely to pull you further away from your creative outlet! You get so stuck on the "block" that it becomes the only thing you can focus on. Not a good position to be in for any writer. Whether you write articles, novels, advertisements, songs, or greeting cards. When the block hits, it brings everything to a screeching halt.

Let's take a look at some possible solutions to the age old issue of writer's block:

One solution is to walk away from the project. Get your mind on something else entirely.

• Take a walk
• Take a hot bath
• Go for a swim
• Hang out with friends
• Visit relatives
• Go on a date
• Play with kids
• Bake some cookies

It doesn't matter what you choose to do, as long as it is something that will take your mind off of the project and the block!

Sometimes we get too serious, forgetting to have fun while we write. Try playing word games to loosen up those creative brain muscles. Games you can play with words include:

• Rhyming words - fat, cat, bat, rat, that, sat, pat, spat
• Same beginning sound (how many words can you come up with that start with the letter W?)
• Synonym words - how many words can you come up with that have the same meaning?
• Homonym words - so, sow, sew... there, their, they're...
• word finds
• scrabble
• boggle

Having writer's block is a "turn off" to writing. It's stressful, frustrating, and give you a negative feeling when you think about trying to "tackle" the problem.

Playing games is a "turn on" to writing. It's fun, relaxing, entertaining, exciting, and gives you a positive feeling when you associate it with getting back to the project at hand.

Visualization can do amazing things for you (if you let it). Try picturing the project already complete. Imagine that you've already finished and that it has turned out better than you anticipated. Hold onto that feeling!

There you are, holding the finished project in your hand. Go ahead, skim through it. It's right there in front of you. What are you doing? Close your eyes and start over... (sigh) You're meditating and using your imagination, it isn't literally in front of you, yet. With your eyes closed, imagine that you are looking at it and through it. Is anything popping out at you? Can you see some of the words, headlines, or key points?

If not, that's alright, just stick to holding onto the great feeling of already having it finished. This feeling of accomplishment, achievement, and possibly relief is what's really important. It will replace the negative emotions with positive ones, thereby dissipating your block.

There are as many ways to undo writer's bock as there are for how it manifested for you in the first place. The key is to not let it beat you!

It's there for a reason. Perhaps it is telling you that you need a break. Maybe you need sleep or food! How long have you been staring at that blank screen anyway? Take a potty break already! Is there something else you should be doing that is more important like spending time with a friend or loved one? Is someone you love ill? Perhaps you've had an argument with your significant other or a good friend. Unresolved issues outside of the creative world can manifest into writer's block.

Have confidence that the answer will come to you. The solution is there, you just have to seek it out. (And it doesn't hurt if you have a little fun while you're looking.)