WRITING

An Easy Way to Deal with Writer’s Block

How to keep your writing content ideas organized, so you don’t develop “writer’s block”.

There is a much-discussed topic on Medium and other websites and places on the internet. One that there honestly seems to be zero consensuses. That would be writer’s block.

If you read personal views on the topic or listen to the numerous podcasts available on writing, you will find that some writers do not believe that writer’s block exists. That writer’s block is not a thing that one can have as a writer.

Then you have folks like perhaps myself, that often stare at the white screen of my laptop without the movement of a keystroke.

Or perhaps they stare at the blank page in front of them on the desk, and they can’t seem put ink to paper.

Is it that writer’s block, or perhaps it’s that there is a flood of ideas, and a well-meaning writer cannot decide what to write first?

As a more newbie writer, I find that it is much less than I don’t know what to write when I stare at the screen. Rather that I have too many ideas as to what I want to write.

Too many thoughts ready to pour out that my fingers cannot translate them to keystrokes. I can’t decide what to type (write) next.

I think that is really what the problem is for most. It’s not that we see ourselves as blocked from writing, but instead, we can’t seem to determine what is next. What thought, chapter, title, or book to write next?

Perhaps you have experienced this too. Have you ever had so many ideas about what you wanted your next post to be about, or the next Medium story that you couldn’t get those words on the screen?

You are a blogger, perhaps, and though you know you have a successful blog and has focused on a specific niche, yet you have trouble coming up with a new post. You know you have ideas, but where are they?

Maybe you are writing a book, and you are ready to write your next 1000 to 2000 words — your book’s next chapter. Yet because you maybe didn’t write an outline, you don’t know how your characters develop next? Maybe where the plot turns?

I know that I can give a LOT of hypotheses as to why this happens to us, especially as a newbie writer. Most of it not grounded in real-world experience, but just the same, I will guess, as it applies to myself.

Much like I said earlier, that it is the number of thoughts in my head. The story ideas, blog post ideas, and future book ideas can’t seem to manifest themselves as written words. (typed)

For me, what I am finding as a great tool to at least get these thoughts out of my head, so I can focus on a task at hand is a simple tool and study. One that perhaps you use yourself, or maybe will be an ah-hah moment.

What I am finding now is these past months because I can clear my head for each of my writing venues and come up with a process.

Be it a story on Medium.com or a blog post idea for my blogs TheMatureMan.com or JustRealEstateMarketing.com that I spreadsheet every story or blog post idea that I have, they stay out of my way when deciding what to write next.

Having every story or post idea on paper (spreadsheet in my case) allows me to focus on only the idea, not the theories of what to write next.

Like walking into an extensive metropolitan library, say like one in New York, if you don’t know what book you were looking for, the task would be daunting, if not nearly impossible.

Yet, if you knew the book you were seeking, but only had to find the section, then the title, the task would be much more comfortable. The job would be achievable with success.

Perhaps this is an idea you may want to use in your writing adventure. Instead of keeping all your story ideas in your head, use tools that we learned in our corporate lives, and put them in a spreadsheet. Maybe they will help you get past writer’s block too?

In Closing

Do you have other ways or tools that you use to combat what we call writer’s block? If you do and you want to share, please post them in the comment section.

Perhaps you are like many, and you don’t believe in the concept of writer’s block. If that is the case, how do you move forward from feeling overwhelmed with story ideas to putting keystrokes on the screen?

Please post any comments you have below, including your thoughts on writer’s block. Perhaps you have to combat it, or even if you need the inspiration to get past it today. I am sure we will all rally to help; I know that I will.

Some of My Other Stories

If you might want to read some of the other published work, here are a few you may want to check out.

Some are random work that I only shared with my readers, and others curated by some of the many great and inspiring publications here on Medium.

About Michael

Michael Thacker is a not so young adult blogger, aspiring writer, and sometimes seller of real estate.

Michael tweets a LOT on Twitter. Posts every once in a while on Facebook. Occasionally lets his opinions be known to friends, family, and anyone else that will listen.

Connect with Michael

You can follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MichaelThackerI.

If you want to connect on Facebook, the best place is https://www.facebook.com/RMichaelThacker/