Ah yes! The pesky cursor blinking on the screen with not a care in the world what comes after. No words, no thoughts. Just a page with a blinking cursor. Maybe there are words, but now…its like the engine has stalled out and died.

Writer’s Block!

It’s that magical wall that just suddenly appears in the middle of the road and you somehow have to find a way around it. The problem is, it feels like there’s a river on one side and maybe a cliff on the other. There’s no way around, and making your vehicle jump over it seems impossible. So what do you do? Get creative!

I want to share 5 ways that anyone here in STF can overcome this terrible dilemma. Whether you’re writing posts, plotting as a GM, or even writing outside of STF on books, articles, whatever. These tips and tricks should definitely be of great help when you come to this point. (Because, let’s face it, if you’re writer chances are you’ve already had issues with this.) The key here is finding inspiration and getting your mind to start jogging. (And remember, there is no one definitive set way of overcoming this.)

1. Music

This is probably my number one thing I do if I’m stuck on something. It can be music with or without words. Anything that gets your mind turning gears. I’m, personally, a big fan of Two Steps From Hell and Thomas Bergersen. I love epic, legendary sounding music. Find what kind of music inspires you! And when you can’t seem to get the cursor to move, or the pen to keep moving, just go back and listen. Usually, I don’t even try to write when the music starts. I let go of the pen or I’ll get up from the computer and just listen.

2. Reading

I think reading is essential for anyone who writes. How can you know how to write unless you’ve seen examples? Besides reading to see examples of good writing, sometimes reading inspires us! Maybe there’s an author who has written some of the best books you’ve ever read. Read more of them! And don’t just read for the fun of it. (Really there’s no harm that, but don’t limit yourself.) Read to learn from it too! I can not stress enough that we ought to read, read, and did I mention…READ! It’s how we grow as an author, and its one way to overcome that blank feeling before getting to the writing.

3. Writing Prompts

Woohoo! Writing prompts can be a lot of fun! I’m very excited to see the start of those here in 10-Forward. Did you ever consider, when finding yourself at a stop in your writing, to maybe write about something else? I’m not saying you should totally abandon your work. I’m saying take a few moments and look over some writing prompts. Sometimes, just getting a flow for writing is all it takes to move yourself away from that pesky blockage. I’ve always found that once I get typing, the words just come naturally and sometimes I can jump right back into what I originally was doing and move past Writer’s Block.

4. Movies

Movies are essentially visualized stories. I’ve been inspired but many movies, but my all time favorite has to be…Braveheart! But there are plenty of other movies that I’ve seen and been inspired by. If you’re experiencing writer’s block, watching movies that fit in well with your niche could help you overcome it. You never know unless you try.

5. Pictures/Art

This is definitely one way to get inspired as well. I’ve seen writing prompts that simply give you a picture, and based on the image, you create short story. I’ll admit it, Pinterest is also a great way to visualize some things. Or simply using google to find images of things you may find inspiring. Some of my favorite photos are of nature. Forests, mountains, flowing rivers, grassy plains. I’ve seen pictures that make me wonder about things that had taken place there. The stories that can unfold from pictures or art of any kind, can be as numerous as the grains of sand near the sea.

This, of course, is a very short list of possibilities to assist you in overcoming writer’s block. If for some reason, none of these take your fancy, think about what inspries you. Where do you get ideas from? How gets your creative juices flowing?

This if the first of hopefully several posts we would like to create for you STFers before November comes around. NaNoWriMo will be on us before you know it. I know I definitely plan to participate. If you’re planning to write during National Novel Writing Month as well, keep an eye on 10-Forward! You will find interesting tips and tricks for all sorts of barriers that come up in the writing process.

Discussion:

Which of these aids in overcoming writer’s block appeals to you the most? Have you tried any of the others? What have you tried to do to get you over that hump? What gets your creativity moving?

Go ahead and comment below!

-Tony the Tiger