Internet Babel

Definition: Writer’s block is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity.

I’m sure anybody who owns a blog and attempts to write content of a consistent quality on a regular basis can relate to this.

Writer’s block will happen to most people who attempt to write a lot. The only difference is how you handle it.

Here are some simple methods for overcoming writer’s block:

1. Music and Movies – Music can be enticing. It relaxes the brain. Sooner or later you should actually start to notice creative ideas popping in your head, simply due to the fact your brain is in a relaxed state and your listening to a creative medium. Movies are on a similar level and obviously or usually, connect more than just music. The fact your brain is in an engaged state of entertainment allows it to sort of ‘sit back’ and enjoy what it’s enduring. Allowing for creative ideas to accumulate and when you get back to write… you’ll most probably find that you can suddenly think of a ton of new ideas.

2. Schedule time to write on a regular basis – Although relaxing your brain is a good thing to allow thought to be processed. On the other hand, a period of time in which you know you should be doing something can also create a mental routine sometimes allowing for smoother transaction of thought to paper. Or in a blogger’s case, thought to post.

3. Take a break – Again, playing on the relaxing method. Relaxing can just help you get out of the previous struggled mental state, take into consideration other things around you and inspire thought to which you previously may not have imagined.

4. Take your time – At the end of the day. Who cares how long you take. If you start to write a great post but you get stuck on a certain section, instead of deleting it and risk a vital chunk in a good post. Simply save it and go back to it in a day or two, with a fresh… or, refreshed outlook on the matter.

5. Reading – Obviously, many things you can read. You could as I’ve said in previous posts – go and look at other bloggers in the bloggersphere or bloggers that you particularly like, to inspire post ideas. You could also go look at related news headlines, spin off those and give your opinion on them. Or simply report the news item itself, if it’s not been overdone.

6. Write freely – This is quite a strange but useful technique. If you just actually keep typing without careful consideration, it can allow for a much more unstable but creative output of thought. Simply because you’re allowing your creative side of your brain (the right) to become more prominent than the left (logical side). All you do is simply keep on typing, just type and type and let ideas flow, be careless with grammar and all. You can then go back and make the required changes to make it more readable and accurate.

I’m obviously not a Psychologist, although I do know a bit from years of doing card magic, general magic and a bit of mental magic. Psychological consideration is part of it. But these ideas are more common sense and a little reading into from myself, but more assumption and common sense.

Some people will actually make the problem worse by trying to think too hard, in effect… simply pushing their brain to hard. It’s almost like with a computer. If you run too many processes and the RAM can’t handle it, it will obviously start to slow down and trying to proceed with any other actions or opening of programs will usually be immensely slow, sometimes won’t happen at all. Same applies with your brain, relax!

So if you ever get writer’s block again, try some of these