9 Cures for Writer’s Block

“Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way.”

1. Change scenery.

Although it may be incredibly cliché, there’s a reason why you often see people tapping away at their keyboards in a coffee shop. Although these people tend to get a bad rap, they are definitely onto something.

There really are many benefits to changing scenery when it comes to writing. Research shows that exposure to different environments actually changes the neural pathways in your brain. “This means that exploring new places can boost your ability to leap between diverse ideas and make richer mental connections between ideas.”

You become mentally-stimulated, inspired and more open-minded towards new ideas. You’ll spark connections between old ideas and new.

The change of scenery obviously doesn’t have to be a cafe. Head to the beach, a park, a different part of your office. Hire a hotel room for a night if you’re feeling like seriously treating yourself. On the next level, go travelling. Be inspired by new places, peoples, sights and smells.

“Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” — Edward de Bono

2. Write something else.

I constantly read about the fact that there’s no such thing as writer’s block, but I’m going to call bullshit on that one. If I’m writing, and can suddenly write no more, I’d call that blocked. “Writer’s Block” aren’t dirty words. There’s no shame in experiencing the feeling. But you’ll often find that it’s often only in relation to one piece of work.

I always have several pieces of work going at once, because depending on the day and my energy, some things are easy to contribute to than others. I can stare at a blinking cursor on one piece of work for hours, but word-vomit 2000 words on another.

If you‘re feeling stuck, give yourself 10 minutes to write on a completely different topic. Choose a person you know, and write about them. Choose an interaction you had today, and write about what would have happened if it had gone horribly wrong. Search for writing prompts online, pick one and go for it.

3. Read instead.

Learn from other writers. Take note of the books you can smash through in a day or two because you just can’t put them down. Read in the genre you want to write in, but branch out to be inspired by elements of other genres.

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or tools) to write.” — Stephen King

4. Be prepared.

Let’s be honest, million dollar ideas usually come to you in the most inconvenient of times, catching you unawares. The shower, public transport, when you’re about to fall asleep.

Just make sure you capture every decent thought, even those that are half-baked. You can think about them properly later. When you’re in the mood to create, reading through your notes can trigger an abundance of inspiration.

5. Compile a list of books you want to read.

Create an account on Goodreads. Spend half an hour going through books that you would like to read, and add them to your virtual bookshelf. Take note of the plots and summaries that get your heart racing, the ones that you see are ‘must-reads’.

Then take note of why — why do these excite you? Do the books in your to-read list have anything in common with one another? This activity will offer some guidance towards your own passion points, and illuminate the topics you would be motivated to write about yourself.

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows.

Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent.” — Jim Jarmusch

6. Live a little.

Every experience you have becomes an experience you can write about. Say yes to more events, more nights out, more things that scare you. Build up a bank of experiences, emotions and memories that you can tap into whenever the mood strikes. Being able to call upon your own experiences when writing about something similar ensures you are inspired and can write about the topic vividly.

“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.” ― Osho

7. Listen to music.

Nothing helps trigger my imagination more than listening to music. I’ll put my entire library on shuffle until something strikes a chord (no pun intended). Different songs inspire me on different days. Something magical happens when you listen to music, and it almost always involves very little effort from your end.

8. Trust yourself.

Creatives are full of self-doubt, the two unfortunately go hand-in-hand. Too much doubt can cause you to freeze, and not produce anything because you feel that your work isn’t worth producing or sharing. Know this isn’t true. Learn to trust yourself, trust your work and believe in what you have to say, so the creative flood gates may open.

“The chief enemy of creativity is good sense.” ― Pablo Picasso

9. Do nothing at all.

The power of switching off and practising mindfulness and stillness should never be undervalued when it comes to inspiring ideas and creativity. The more you zen out, the more you subconscious will come into play. Giving your mind a break can ensure that when it comes back to the task of writing, your subconscious is not scrambling through a clutter of thoughts. In all that mess, it may not find those nuggets of gold.