#2 Writer’s block?

People often think that in order to write, you need to be inspired. I guess that sort of makes sense, after all how can you produce great work without inspiration to guide you? As it turns out, though, inspiration is quite overrated.

Writing, like most things, takes patience and practice to get anywhere worthwhile. The key is to just start writing and see where you end up. Once you get going and with a bit of time, inspiration will come. Take a look at your surroundings, what is there that you can write about? Is there a picture of family, some artwork, a book on the shelf, an ornament? Getting words down on the page is usually enough to stimulate your creativity and to get something going. Try not to worry too much about quality, what you’re aiming for is to get words on the page. The quality will come in time, the main thing is to exercise your writing and creative instinct and condition yourself to feel comfortable writing without obvious inspiration.  

How to Get Started When You Feel Uninspired

It’s all too common for me to sit down at my laptop and stare at a blank page for hours, deliberating and worrying about the best approach to take to get started. Sometimes it can feel like i’ll never be able to come up with anything good but I’ve learnt to trust myself and follow a formula which helps me break through creative barriers and ‘writers block’. Here are the tips that I use to get myself started:

Try starting with a prompt: I find that a good way to get started when low on inspiration and/or motivation is to use a prompt. It’s really simple; a prompt can be anything from a word or phrase to an image or object. They’re especially helpful when you don’t know what to write about. Simply take your prompt and run with it. See where it takes you, what story unfolds and what words end up on your page.

Try writing something short form: Sometimes the best way to get myself started is simply to write something short. It doesn’t have to be anything long or complicated, a few sentences will do, maybe about something interesting I’ve read, a film I’ve watched, some new music I’ve listened to, it can really be anything. The idea is to get yourself moving and it isn’t necessarily anything you need to share, the goal is to get words on the page. Once I have some shorter form writing down, I find that it really stimulates the creative process and pushes me in the right direction.  

I have recently learnt about something called ‘free writing’ too. Free writing is a style of writing  done without worrying about grammar, punctuation, specific structure or format. Free writing is helpful as it allows our brains to wander and explore different thoughts and feelings without any judgement or expectation. This type of writing can be pretty chaotic but very helpful in creating new creative ideas for work and I’ve found to be quite a helpful unblocker when struggling with work.

Try and focus on one thing at a time: It’s really tempting to try and do too many things at once in an effort to force any kind creativity out of my brain. This is almost always a mistake. It really is better to focus on one thing at a time and give something your full attention. If you’re going to invest time and energy into your creative passions, it’s worth doing it properly. Properly in this instance means taking your time and focussing on one thing at a time.  

Take a break: One of the most important things you can do when you’re feeling under pressure, demotivated and lacking inspiration is to take a break from writing altogether. It true for most things in life too, not just writing, and is something I’ve found to be a valuable tip when feeling under pressure at work. Some of my go to tips are going for a walk outside and taking some time to exercise, listening to a favourite podcast or music, watching movies and spending time with my friends, partner and cat. The main thing is to try and take a break and come back refreshed and ready to be at your creative best.

There’s no shame in admitting that sometimes writer’s block gets the best of us, we’ve all been there. The important thing is not letting it stop you from writing altogether, momentary setbacks won’t define your ability to write or be creative.

The most important thing is that you allow yourself the time and space to be creative. If nothing else in my suggestions work, at least give yourself the time and space to clear your head so you’re able to return to your writing with a renewed perspective and freshness.

If you’re still with me (again), thank you very much. Until next time!