We’ve all been there. Staring at a blank page, racking our heads for ideas, nothing coming. It’s the bane of all writers, whether writing a story, a script, an article, or the copy on the back of a shampoo bottle. Either there is nothing there, and our mind is as blank as the Word doc in front of us. Or, what is there seems awful and stupid, and not worth the millionth of a calorie it would take to type. (I would like to interject that it is always worth writing all your ideas down. Sure, they might not be the golden nugget you’re looking for right now. But you never know what other ideas they might inspire, or how you will perceive them in a few months. Write write write, then edit down. It’s better to have too much than not enough!)

I am no stranger to the phenomenon. During my Screenwriting course, I had the worst writer’s block I had experienced to date. And it was a very unfortunate time for it to creep up. I listened as all my peers came up with interesting and inspired pieces, and my brain caved in on itself. Nothing there but a small mound of dust. Or, I have had the opposite happen. I get super into a project, the characters, the setting, and I start writing, and… there it is again. The goddamned writer’s block.  

Even worse is when a looming deadline hangs over your head, adding to the stress and the pressure. For some, this is a blessing in disguise and catapults them into action. Many get their best ideas last minute, just before they’re about to cross the red line. But not all are so fortunate. Others crumble under the weight of it all, feeling utterly paralysed and unable to think.

But, fear not! I have assembled 5 helpful tips for fighting writer’s block, tried and tested by yours truly. Since I am, mostly, a creative writer, this is the niche my solutions target. But feel free to adapt them to your style of writing where needed. 

 

Tip 1: Take a break 

Now, I know this isn’t the quick solution you were hoping for. But please, hear me out before you click off in a writer’s block rage. 

Sometimes, when we get overly involved with a project, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lost in it. I have seen it countless times in myself and my writer friends. Annoyed by our brain’s lack of responsiveness, we push and push and push. Squeezing what has already been squeezed dry.

This never leads anywhere good. I mean, sure, you might come up with something. The mind has about 60,000 thoughts a day, there’s bound to be something there for you to scrape out. But at what cost? Will it be a well-thought-out, good-quality concept? Or just a desperate attempt at filling in the word count?

I am sure you can relate to the headache and frustration that comes with pushing when there is nothing to push. Yes, it feels counter-productive to step away when there is so little there. Especially if you have a deadline coming. But the art of knowing when to stop, leave, and come back fresh-minded is a very useful one. And one that you will use in all areas of life, not just writing.  

Depending on how big of a time budget you have, leave your desk and writing equipment for at least an hour. (Although, leaving it for the day and coming back the next morning is usually better). Go do something else, preferably physical, that will keep your mind off of your project. Go for a walk, do some cleaning, and put on some music. 

Essentially, remove yourself from the space of mind and place that is causing your writer’s block. How can you have fresh ideas in a stagnant environment? Once you are in a good mood, and recharged in body and mind, come back to your project with a new mindset and new set of eyes. 

You will be surprised at how much your mind can come up with just from being given the chance to relax and pause.

 

Tip 2: Read the news

Ok, so you’ve taken a break, you’re all refreshed and zen, but still nothing. Maybe you’re still at the start of your piece, and struggling to even come up with an idea. 

My university playwriting mentor gave me this tip. It resulted in one of my favourite monologues from that class. It’s simple: read the news!

And no, this is not another ‘take a break’ tip. This is a strategic tip on getting inspired by real life, to fuel your writing and generate story ideas. After all, most writing, even fiction, is based on true events, whether the author is conscious of it or not. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was inspired by the horrors of World War II. Miyazaki’s  Princess Mononoke by human environmental destruction, and the Japanese religion of Shintoism. This article was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend, who was suffering from a big case of writer’s block. Keep your eyes and ears open, at all times. The world abounds with crazy stories that you could barely believe weren’t made up. And, lucky for us, we live in an age of digital media where we can have access to all this in seconds.

Keep your eyes and ears open, at all times. The world abounds with crazy stories that you could barely believe weren’t made up. And, lucky for us, we live in an age of digital media where we can have access to all this in seconds.

Have a specific topic in mind but lack the insight to get anything going? A quick Google search can give you many articles and interviews to search from. You are bound to find a piece of information you would not have otherwise thought of.

If you have no ideas, open any news app or newspaper to the front page. Skim the titles, and whichever draws your attention can serve as the basis for your next great idea. 

This is also a good way to add depth and realism to your project. By adding details that could only have been known through first-hand experience. 

 

Tip 3: Set a timer and word-vomit

Ok, ok. I know this completely contradicts my previous point. About giving yourself more time, and not squeezing your brain when it’s already at breaking point. And I still stand by that. But this can be a helpful way of giving yourself a push if you’re feeling unmotivated to come back.

Sit down with your writing equipment, somewhere you will not be disturbed. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes, during which time you will do nothing but write. Write absolutely everything and anything that pops into your mind. No matter how weird, silly, or off-topic it may seem. Treat it like a race, where you’re trying to get as much down as possible before the hourglass runs out.

The point here is to kick-start your brain into active thinking mode. The more you use the creative muscle, warming it up with a bit of nonsense spewing, the more blood gets pumped into it. And the more it is going to start coming up with the good, meaty stuff. (Metaphorically speaking, of course. There is not a literal creative muscle in the body. Although, could you imagine how great that would be? A simple pastic surgery and BAM, neverending creative flow! Anyway, I digress). 

I have experienced this many times. Writing a short bullet point list can awaken the beast of inspiration within me. Suddenly, my idea list has tripled in size. And before I know it, there I am! Furiously typing away at a project that was completely non-existent mere minutes before. 

So don’t worry about what you are writing during those 10-15 minutes. Treat it like a warm-up to the workout that is creative writing.

 

Tip 4: Use a word generator 

This one piggybacks off the ‘read the news’ tip. But, it is aimed at those looking for a more fictional approach to the method.

There are many word and idea generators out there. They can add a wildcard concept, changing up a stale piece that has been chasing its tail for the last 200 words.

The point of these is not for AI to come up with an idea for you, or to fully write a piece for you. These tools serve more as a prompt, from which you can draw inspiration. Think of something from a different angle. Or find a story setting you wouldn’t otherwise have considered.

Here are a couple you can use. (I am not affiliated with them in any way, I just find them useful). But, a simple Google search will come up with hundreds upon hundreds of options. So, truly, the AI interweb sky is the limit:

• https://randomwordgenerator.com – This generator is good for words. It also generates phrases, sentences, adjectives, synonyms, names, etc. Generate a word, or sentence, and incorporate it into what you are currently writing. See how it changes the dynamic and flow and where this twist can lead you.

• https://www.plot-generator.org.uk – This generator comes up with plots and story ideas. The quality of these is a bit iffy, so use it only as a prompt, not to come up with the project idea for you. It has a lot of different options to choose from, and a helpful questionnaire to fill out. It gets you thinking about characters and settings. But, if you’re feeling extra uninspired, there is also a random generating button. Sometimes it comes up with truly bizarre things. Combine this generator with tip 3. Make yourself write about whatever plot it comes up with for the next 10-15 minutes.

 

Tip 5: Change your environment completely

It’s not me, it’s you, environment. And by environment, I refer to the desk or space where the majority of my writing gets done. 

Sometimes, always being stuck in one unchanging place, makes us feel very… well, stuck. 

It is also possible to get lazy if we’re always behind the same desk. We get comfortable, we get distracted. It’s our own space, so we don’t feel that pressure of surroundings, like the dreaded pressure in exam rooms. This can be good. No one wants exam room pressure each time they need to write something. But it’s also important to not cut ourselves too much slack.

There are many ways to remedy this. The world is a never-ending sphere of writing environments. You can take your writing gear to a cafe, a bar, or a restaurant. Get inspired by different decorations, customers, and food and beverage.

You could go to a library if you are seeking a more classic school-type environment. With silence and rules and hard-working people typing away next to you. Here you also have access to hundreds of books for research and (are you sick of this word yet?) inspiration.

Or, go somewhere completely removed and unexpected. Go to the place you are writing about. Meet the people who are living the story you are exploring. Get first-hand experience of a setting, or hear the first-hand encounters of others. Fieldwork is truly the best way to generate ideas. You are bound to find your golden nugget here.

There are many ways to train the creative writing muscle and prevent the black hole of writer’s block. These are some simple ways to kickstart the process. I hope you found these tips helpful! Let me know which was most helpful. Or do you have a completely different strategy for fighting writer’s block? Thank you for reading, and I wish you the best creative inspiration in the future!