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Have you ever had writer’s block? Sure you have.
You know that feeling; you’re sitting at your computer/pad and you want to write something, you really, really do, but nothing comes. The frustration can last a few minutes, hours and in some extreme cases, months. You feel boxed in on all sides, surrounded by a sea of never-ending nothingness, like Bastian in The NeverEnding Story.
Sound familiar?
I get asked a lot on how to overcome writer’s block, but most of the exercises I have found are crappy. Here are 7 of the tactics I have found that I consider helpful. I hope they help you too, and don’t worry, they don’t suck.
7 Non-Crappy Ways To Inspire Your Writing
1. Character Study – Pick one of your favorite characters from TV or film and write a post from their perspective. How would Dr. House view Facebook? What benefits would Jack Bauer see in Twitter?
You can pick any dynamic character and any topic. You might not even keep the eventual post, but viewing situations and scenarios you see every day from different viewpoints can help get your creative juices flowing.
2. 49 Bad, 1 Good – Take 5 minutes and write down 50 ideas. They don’t have to be good or even coherent, simply get 50 phrases on the page. Go through 1 by 1 and cross off ones that aren’t as good as the ones that surround it until you only have a single idea left.
You’ll be surprised how many interesting off-shoot ideas you come up with during this process.
3. Director’s Cut – Take an old post you remember writing and enjoying and repost it, only repost it with your notes on how/where you came up with each point and what you were thinking about each section.
This not only gives your readers a little peak at what goes on “behind the curtain” but also might help you understand how you write and think through ideas.
4. Photo Share – Explore Flickr or another photo-sharing site and find a picture that inspires you. What does it remind you of? What conclusions can you draw about what is going on? Sometimes photos really can equal 1,000 words (or just 500 if that’s your process.)
5. Read, Read, Read – Read books, read magazine, read blogs. Read whatever you can get your hands on. Nothing inspires me more than reading other things people I admire have written. Go back through your Google Alerts and Google Reader and re-read some of your favorite starred posts. What is it about those posts/books/articles that draw you in? How can you implement those practices into your writing?
6. Draw A Cartoon – The title for this one is a clever way of saying explore new mediums, but it is exactly what I did when I couldn’t think of something new to write one day. I took a book I was reading and drew cartoons about it, thus the UnReview was born.
I’m not saying you have to go out and draw crappy cartoons, but if you’ve never done a video blog, do one. If you’re not comfortable on camera, record a one-person podcast about your favorite topic. Step outside of the box and see what’s there.
7. Stop Writing – This might seem contrary to the problem at hand. How will not writing help you write? Sometimes you need a break. Your writer’s block might simply be a way for your body telling you to do something else.
Take a walk and appreciate nature. Go on a run and push yourself farther than before. Play a video game. You’ll be surprised what inspires you when you aren’t looking for inspiration.
That’s it. That’s my list of Non-Crappy ways to overcome or sidestep writer’s block. They aren’t fool-proof, but they all have worked for me in the past and I hope they work for you.
What ways have you found to facilitate inspiration? What’s the most helpful tactic you’ve ever employed? Let’s make this list a whole lot longer than just 7 tips.
Cheers.
Tags: blogging, social media, writer's block, writing inspiration
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