We’ve all had writer’s block at some point in our lives, and it can be particularly inconvenient when we have a tight schedule in which to write. A lot of writers say that you just have to let the idea be, or go do something you enjoy, but I know you’ve heard those suggestions way too many times. Often, they don’t even work: everybody’s different. Keeping this in mind, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to overcome writer’s block.
Step 1: Get out your writing pad or computer. I mean right now! The hardest part of overcoming writer’s block is actually starting the process of writing. No, don’t tell me you’ll do it later, because I know you won’t: bear with me here.
Step 2: Go over what happened in your life today in your mind. Even if nothing interesting happened, just think it over. Maybe you were in math class today and encountered a really hard problem, or you stayed home and watched cat videos on youtube. If nothing comes to mind, then think about how you’re feeling right now: are you tired, hopeful, ready for the year to end? Think about that and hold on to that thought.
Step 3: Turn one of the events or emotions you felt today into a topic! If you had math class today and you feel tired, you can write about how math class gives too much work. Watching cat videos is a topic in itself! You can write about how cats are good pets, about your favorite type of cat, or the feelings cat videos create within you.
Step 4: You now have some choices. Do you want to write something serious in essay format? Something creative…like fanfiction? Or something complex…like poetry? An easy way to make this choice is to think about how you want to tell the story. Creatively? Try fanfiction or short stories! Argumentatively? Try opinion pieces. Expressively? Try poetry.
Step 5: You didn’t think you would make it this far, did you? You’re almost ready to start writing! After choosing what you want to write, think about how you want to write it. Get your favorite book and notice the ways in which the author draws your attention. Maybe they add jokes, purposely misspell things, are super serious, or write it in an overly exaggerated British accent. Bring back your topic and chosen writing style, then try and write the first few sentences. Loosely structure them off of some sentences in your book, and continue like that until you have a couple sentences.
Step 6: Dump all the stuff you can think of about your topic from your brain onto the paper! Just keep typing, even if the writing is horrible- you can edit it later. Write about those cat videos! Scream about all that math homework! Just get some words down on the paper.
Step 7: You just realize what you’ve done right? You’ve overcome writers’ block! Good job and happy writing.