4 Helpful Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

Ah… writer’s block. The nemesis of every single writer. The crippling and paralyzing mental wall which can make most (if not all) of us shut down, scream out in frustration, or throw our laptops out of a second-story window.

I’ve been there, many times before. At times for months, and months, and months… throughout the years that I’ve been writing, I’ve found some great hacks for overcoming writer’s block and getting my pen scribbling again! Continue on below to read my 4 helpful tips for overcoming writer’s block:

1. Create a writing-inspired playlist.

I always keep my ears open for new songs which I know would inspire hours worth of writing. These are songs I feel my characters would identify with on a personal level, songs which set the mood of my novel’s themes, or songs that I could put on repeat and play over and over, all day long.

On the days when I’m not sure where to start for my novel, I pop on that playlist, pace around my house and let my mind wander. I let it go wherever it wants to. Often, when we get writer’s block, we’ve shocked our brains into a sort of paralysis. Pressuring it or pushing it to “work properly” will not help at all.

Slowly coax your inspiration out by letting your mind wander freely until it unlocks itself from its mental prison. From there, it may send you on an adventure of inspired verbiage!

2. Create the right atmosphere.

Raise your hand if you’re guilty of being a homebody who never leaves the house when you get into “writing mode” — oh look, we’re all doing it virtually!

There are fewer things that make me feel less inspired than trying to write in the same conditions, same environment, every single day of the week…

If there’s anything I’ve learned from running my social media marketing business from home, it’s that you need to foster and create environments which will inspire and motivate you to do great things.

You can play this strategy day by day. If working from your home office just isn’t cutting it, give yourself a change of scenery. Sometimes all it takes is stepping right outside your front door. Pop down at a cafe, or go for a walk around the neighbourhood. Open your mind up to more possibilities and new sights to arouse it out of that pesky writer’s block.

3. Step away from your work, guilt-free.

The key to this is doing it GUILT-FREE. If you spend all of your time walking away from your work feeling guilty for not doing said work, you’re not any better off than when you started.

Go out for a walk. Clear your head. Observe the world around you and find little glimpses of inspiration. Maybe even sit down for coffee with a friend or fellow writer, and just chat about life. You might find a glimpse of inspiration that will send you off on a new writing spree.

4. Sit down for an interview with Oprah.

This is my biggest, albeit silliest, hack for overcoming writer’s block. I picked up this habit to counter-attack my own imposter syndrome that I’ve experienced as a young female entrepreneur while running my social media business.

Imagine that Oprah (or someone you really look up to) is sitting you down for an interview to talk about your novel and/or writing. Oprah may ask questions like:

1. Where do you get your inspiration?
2. Why did you start writing this novel?
3. Why is the message of your novel so important for your readers to hear?
4. How has this big event affected your main character?
5. Why did your main character behave in such a way during this dramatic event?

When I’m home alone, I answer these questions aloud. I’m an external processor, so that’s what works best for me. But this process can still work just as effectively whether you’re internally processing, or writing your answers down on paper/in a writing document.

Now, if Oprah was interviewing you, you wouldn’t reply with, “Well, uh, I dunno. I guess, etc. etc.” You would fake-it-till-you-make-it by giving confident answers. Through processing your plot, characters’ motivations and important events in your writing, you’ll unlock even more drive to continue your novel.

Lean into the confidence of your answers, and let it ramp you up to sit back down in front of your computer and write the next New York Bestseller.