Finding Your Muse: Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

When you take on any writing project, you might find yourself stuck on a story point, unable to muddle through a character’s motivation, or be unsure about how to get from one scene to the next. It happens to every writer, but it doesn’t have to put a stop to your writing goals.

What is writer’s block?

Before diving into the strategies for overcoming writer’s block, it’s important to understand what it is.

Writer’s block is a common phenomenon where a writer finds themselves temporarily unable to produce new work or experiences a significant creative slowdown. This could be because of various factors like stress, self-doubt, lack of inspiration, or even exhaustion.

You’ll hear a lot of online chatter claiming that writer’s block doesn’t exist, but personally, I think that’s a bit reductionist. Writer’s block isn’t permanent, and it’s not something you can diagnose, but the psychological effects of it are very real. No matter your reasons for becoming creatively blocked, the effect is the same. At times, during your creative process, you’ll find it difficult to produce new work.

It’s a frustrating situation. Despite wanting and trying to write, the words just don’t seem to flow. Some writers describe it as their mind going blank, while others view it like a wall obstructing their creative thought process.

Despite its challenges, it’s something all writers experience at some point, but overcoming it often leads to revived motivation and fresh ideas.

Strategies for overcoming writer’s block

While there is a lot of general advice out there for overcoming writer’s block, that advice won’t hold true for everyone.

When you’re working on a longer project, it’s not always as simple as picking up a writing prompt and writing 500 random words to get your creative juices flowing. When you have to write for longer periods of time, or have project goals to work toward, every moment of time feels precious, and it’s good to spend as much writing time as possible in service of your manuscript.

These strategies are not just about overcoming writer’s block, but will hopefully help you find the catalyst that drives your story forward if you’re just not feeling it.

Character exploration

If you’re stuck at a particular plot point or having trouble with a character, take some time to delve deeper into who your characters are. Write a diary entry from their perspective or develop their backstory.

Sometimes, when you’re blocked, you just need to get words on the page. Don’t overthink what you’re writing, as you’ll be able to edit and polish it when you get to the next draft. Writing words to understand your characters better can often help unblock your writing, even if you edit out all the extra detail for your second draft.

You’ll have a much easier time of writing if you know your characters inside out.

Change perspective

Try writing a scene from a different character’s point of view, using a different narrative voice, or in a different tense (past instead of present, or vice versa). Even if you don’t keep the changes, this can spark new insights and get your creative juices flowing again.

In my current project, I’m writing my chapters alternating between first-person narrative voice and third-person omniscient. I’m not sure which I’ll keep yet, and I know I’ll have to do a lot of rewrites for my second draft, but the alternative points of view are really helping me see story elements from different perspectives.

Work on the easiest part

You absolutely do not have to write your novel in chronological order. If you’re stuck on a tricky section, go ahead and work on the easiest or most enjoyable part of your project.

A lot of blocks come from scenes that you’re just not in the mood to write. Feel in the mood to write the romance scene? Go ahead and do that! Want to write a detailed analysis of the chemical structures of genetically modified plants? Do that too!

Once you’ve regained your momentum, you can then return to the more challenging sections. Bridging chapters, especially, can even become easier to write if you’ve got the big plot points written out in advance.

Break it into manageable chunks

For big projects like a novel, you might feel overwhelmed by the sheer scale of what you’re trying to do. If that’s the case, try breaking your project down into smaller, manageable chunks.

Rather than thinking, “I have to write a novel,” aim for smaller goals, like a chapter or a particular scene. Set little mini-goals while you work and reward yourself when you achieve them. A 70,000-word novel is a lot. A chapter is more manageable. But a smaller writing goal, like a session word count or a writing sprint, lets you make progress without worrying about the big picture in the moment.

A technique that works for me is writing a really rough scene outline of about 550 words. Basically, a first draft of my novel will usually start at novella length, because I don’t go into too much descriptive detail (unless I feel like it).

This technique won’t work for everyone, but it’s important to find what does work for you. The trick is to make sure that every writing session feels manageable. If you sit down to write feeling overwhelmed at the scale of what you have to achieve, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Rewriting

Sometimes, if something just really isn’t working for you, you have to be willing to take a risk. If you’re really, truly unhappy with a scene, try rewriting it in a completely different style or from a different perspective. For instance, turn a dialogue-heavy scene into pure narration, change the setting of a heavy romance scene from indoors to outdoors, or even try something as simple as changing the weather. You might discover a fresh approach that helps spark some ideas.

But…and I can’t stress this enough…do not delete your original.

Just because the original wasn’t working, and the new scene gives you good ideas, doesn’t mean there was nothing you can take from your original piece of writing. Having both to compare while editing will result in the best revisions, and often what you’ll settle on is a hybrid between the two.

Stay motivated

The most important piece of advice to stay free from writer’s block is the most simple. You need to think of ways to keep yourself motivated.

So how can you do that?

Set realistic goals

Setting unachievable goals can lead to frustration. If it’s not achievable, you’ll fail. And if you fail, you won’t feel motivated. You’ll fall at the first hurdle.

Set yourself a goal that represents success to you. No one knows your time availability and schedule better than you do, so make sure your goals fit in with that. Don’t compare yourself to other writers. Don’t let anyone else dictate how much or how often you should be writing.

If you can only write for 10 minutes a day, let that be your goal. You’ll get a little dopamine hit every time you manage to do that. Can’t schedule time? Set yourself a small word count goal that is totally achievable. It could even be something like 500 words a week, split over whatever time you can manage.

If you have achievable goals that you can reach, you’ll be more motivated to keep going. And it’s the repetition of motivation that will help you build sustainable writing habits that stop writer’s block before it takes root.

Reward yourself

Completed a chapter? Reward yourself. Hit your daily word count goal? Pats on the back all around!

If you don’t reward yourself, you won’t be motivated to keep going. A reward could be anything from your favourite drink, reading a chapter of your favourite book, or going for a walk with your dog.

Whatever you want to reward yourself with, just make sure you do it. This will keep you driven to reach your next goal.

Stay positive

Nothing will kill your vibe faster than sitting down to write with a negative attitude. It’s common to face setbacks while writing. But keeping a positive attitude towards your work is crucial to keep making progress.

I’m guilty of this constantly. The idea I loved yesterday feels silly and trite today. The characters I was invested in when I started, now seem clichéd and boring. But that’s just a state of mind, and I have to remind myself that giving in to those negative thoughts is going to halt my progress.

Over the course of any writing project, you’ll have a fraught relationship with what you’re writing. You’ll love and hate it in equal measure. Just make sure you keep a positive attitude, with the belief that everything will come together in the end, and you’ll find it easier to stay motivated.

Overcoming writer’s block can be daunting, but with the right strategies and a positive mindset, it’s entirely possible. Remember, every writer is unique and different strategies work for different people. Try the tips mentioned above and find out what works best for you. After all, writing is about expressing your creativity and enjoying the process of writing.