Description:

Writer’s block. Every writer - no matter what you write - has been plagued by it. However unpleasant, it is, unfortunately part of the writing process...but that doesn’t mean we have to let it upset us. Listen here to learn how to get past writer’s block and how you can avoid it, so you won’t have to deal with it as often!

Transcript:

Intro :

Dear listener,

Hello and welcome to the Diary of a Writer podcast. My name is Lexie and I’m the writer in question. It’s nice to have you here, whether you’re a fellow writer or a curious observer. I’m here to talk you about all things involved in writing. The challenges, the successes and everything in between. Let’s struggle through our writing journey’s together on this episodic adventure. So please, relax and enjoy...

Main:

Writer’s block. It’s something that every writer experiences at some point. If you’re a writer and you haven’t...well I wish I also had that super power. In my experience though, writer’s block is unfortunately part of the writing process. It’s stopped me from working on almost every single project I’ve ever worked on, and is usually the cause of my procrastination.

90% of the time, writing is an enjoyable and fun experience. But that other 10% of the time it can be liking pulling teeth. It’s important to remember in these moments that everything in life, even the things you are passionate about, might not always be easy or fun. I promise I’m not trying to a downer, but as a writer who has constantly questioned whether I should pursue it as a career, in those 10% moments (sometimes 20% if I’m being honest) it made me doubt whether it was the right option for me. I would compare myself to my friends or other writers who just couldn’t seem to stop writing, who always had something to say. They would write and write and write for hours on end, and I would be like - I can write like an hour max before I need to take a break. If you’re one of those people that are always writing and just can’t stop, then that’s great! But if it hasn’t been the case with you, then don’t worry! It’s okay as a writer to not be totally in love writing all the time. It doesn’t mean you don’t love it. It just means that like everything in life, it’s not easy.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. How do we get back to writing when we have writer’s block? In those annoying moments of frustration? Well, just like everything else in life, the best way to deal with it is to prevent it altogether. What I mean by this is that there are things we can do to prevent writer’s block so we don’t have to deal with it in the first place.

Also, if you’re listening to this and you’re like, okay that’s nice and all, but I already have writer’s block, learning how to prevent it is not going to help me. Don’t worry, I’ll be giving some tips for that too in a minute, but for now let’s focus on how to avoid it.

First thing you want to do is choose your setting. Where are you going to be writing? Where is the best place for you to write? Do you want somewhere that’s going to be quiet, some place that’s going to lively or full of people? Do you work best at home or out with other people? If you’re not sure, maybe think about where you would work if you were working remotely, or if you were studying for an exam.

Are you easily distracted when you work? Then you might want to turn off your wifi and your phone while you’re writing. There are pros and cons to this, of course, because on the one hand it keeps you from getting distracted, but on the other hand you might need the internet to look something up while you’re writing. In that case, turn on the wifi to open the windows you need to, before turning it back off.

Sometimes I like to write at home, but I am rarely productive when I do. So, I usually try to find somewhere outside of the house to work. I tend to work at a cafe or at a pub. Public libraries or bookstores are also good places to work. Also, if you can find a writing club, sometimes they will have periods of “free write” which is where you sit with other people while you all work on your own projects. Free writes are fun because although they are generally quiet, you can sometimes lean over to ask for another writer’s advice on your piece or how to solve a potential issue - although it does depends on the group. Some free writes are strictly quiet while others are more communal.

When I do work at home, I find that I’m most successful when I am outside of my bedroom and somewhere with natural light, when possible. I personally like to feel comfy and cozy while I’m writing so I’ll sit in a soft chair or on the couch, but I do know some people prefer to work in a more structured place, like a table or desk. Also, if I’m at home, but want to feel like I’m somewhere else, feel cozy while I’m writing, or want to get in a certain headspace then I do two things. First, I put on music. I’ll put on music to either match the tone of what I’m writing or put on music that I’ve listened to so many times that I can listen to it without being distracted. Sarah J. Maas has said that she’ll listen to movie soundtracks when writing different scenes, and Cassandra Clare and Christine Riccio will often listen to a specific playlist or album when writing in order to illicit a certain feeling. You can also listen to lo-fi beats, which I personally haven’t done, but is perfect for working or studying. The second thing I’ll do is use an additional screen, usually my TV, to go on youtube and search the word “ambience”. If you are working somewhere that doesn’t have a second screen, you can always split your screen and have your doc open on one side and youtube open on the other. This is, of course, if you have opted to keep your wifi on.

Searching the word “ambience” will bring up a bunch of different settings like a library or a cafe or a living room with a fire place and is often accompanied by Jazz music that will play for hours while you work. These settings do a good job of creating a cozy feeling and making me feel like I’ve left the house a little. Sometimes I’ll listen to the jazz, but if I feel like listening to something else I’ll just mute the video and play my own music on my computer or on my speakers. However, there are tons of different options beyond the ones I’ve listed. You can also find ambience for specific movies that will play the movie soundtracks in the background, like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, which is really cool.

Once you’ve chosen and set up your workspace, the next thing you should do is plan out what you want to write. You can do this on paper or in your mind, but it’s important that you take the time to brainstorm a bit before you start writing. You can do this twenty minutes before writing, while sitting in your workspace, or you can go on a walk or take a shower while you brainstorm. There are no set rules, as long as you take some time to think about it before hand.

Another thing you can do is to stop writing in the middle of a sentence when you are coming to the end of your writing session. There are definite pros and cons to this. Stopping mid sentence is helpful as it gives you a place to start when you return to your project. That way it’s easier to get started writing again because all you have to do to start is finish the other half of your sentence. Essentially, it keeps you from staring at your screen wondering how you should jump back in. The problem I’ve discovered with this process, however, is that sometime I can’t remember how I wanted to end the sentence. So, I’ve put a pause on using this method, but if you think it would help you, definitely try it!

My final piece of advice on how to avoid writer’s block? Write as often as you can. The more you write, the more you’ll get used to it. It’ll make it easier to leave a piece and return to it later, without losing time trying to remind yourself where you left off. Also, the more you write about something the more you’ll end up thinking about it which will keep you working towards what might happen next in the story, instead of not knowing what to write next time you sit down at your computer.

So, those were some tips on how to avoid writers block...Now, let’s move on to what you can do if you already have writer’s block, which is usually the case for me!

One method that I’ve found very helpful is to do sprints. This is when you put on a timer and try to write as much as you can in that time. I first heard about this method from Lauren Graham in her book, Talking as Fast as I Can. Lauren refers to the method as the kitchen timer method, where she puts on a timer for an hour, gets rid of all distractions, and writes during that time. She can work on whatever project she wants in that time. She can work on a writing project. She can write in her journal. She can write a poem. Anything, as long as she’s writing something.

Personally, when I do these sprints or the kitchen timer method or whatever you want to call it, I like to work on a specific project. I’m not much of a journal writer. I’ll contribute to my journal every now and then and write an entry or a poem, but it’s not a daily ritual for me or even a weekly ritual. I only do it when I feel like it - which is not often. I’ll also do shorter sprints, keeping it to about 30 minutes. I find that this is long enough to get into the piece without being too long that I run out of things to write. This way, I can write and by the time the timer is up I’m in the flow and I’m ready to restart the timer.

Another reason I like this method so much is that it puts some pressure on me to write. The first time that I tried it and I found that it actually worked was when I started using Highland 2 - an app available unfortunately only on macs. The nice thing about this method is that anyone can do it, but if you do have access to Highland 2 it’s useful for sprints because they’ll keep track of how many words you write in each sprint and how long each one is. That way, you can go back and compare how effective you’ve been, or if you’re like me, you might want to break your record for how much you can write in a certain amount of time.

Another way to combat writer’s block is to minimize your writing doc and instead work on further developing your characters. My writer’s block often comes from not knowing what to write next rather than the lack of a desire to write. Sometimes, if you don’t know what you want to happen next in a scene, it’s either because you need to revise your plot points or because you don’t know your characters motivations well enough. In my case, it’s usually the latter. I’ll have an idea of where I want the story to start and where I want it to end, and I’ll know some of the major plot points in between but I won’t know what should happen in between to connect the landmarks.

I prefer to do this when I’m writing instead of detailing every single little scene because it makes it more exciting when I’m writing. Sometimes when I write it’s like I’m watching the story happen as a write. Almost as if I’m reading it as I’m writing it, and if I spoil it for myself too early on the story get boring really fast. However, sometimes in those scenes I’ll lose steam and not know what to write next. Although, if you know your characters, then ideally you know how they would act in different scenarios.

The best way I’ve found to work on character development is to do a character sheet. Ideally you would do this for every character, but often times I’ll do it just for the main characters or the characters that I feel like I know the least. There are a lot of options online for character sheets that go into a lot of detail. So, if you want to do a deep dive then this is perfect for you. However, in my case, if I try to go too far into detail I’ll end up losing steam pretty fast. So, the character sheet that I’ve found most useful for me is relatively simple. In this character sheet you’ll have three sections. The first will be physical appearance. This is good for knowing how to describe your character when you’re writing but it’s also good because it already tells you a little bit about the character and their personality. What is their style like? Do they dye their hair? Are they tall or short? Do they crouch to make themselves smaller or stand tall with confidence? The second sections focuses on their psychological make-up. This is where you dive into their personality, their habits, their pros and their cons. Are they messy? Are they up-tight? Are they a slacker? Are they extraordinarily kind? Are they arrogant? The last section is a biography. Essentially, you want to write their life story from the moment they’re born to their appearance in your piece. You can make this last part as detailed or general as you want. Overall, these three sections help me to know my characters more, especially the last one. And knowing who they are and where they are coming from allows me to know what they’ll do next and how they’ll react in different scenarios, and what they will do next in my story.

Sometimes, the best way to know what you want to write next is to read what you’ve already written. You don’t want to go too far back into what you’ve written, because then you will use all of your energy editing instead of writing. So, I would recommend maybe reading a couple pages to get back into the groove of writing. It’ll put you back in the headspace of the world and help you to remember the tone and voice you’ve been writing in. It’ll also help inspire you to write what comes next.

If you’re still stuck, then sometimes the best thing you can do is to take a break. Do some meditation. Go on a walk. Do some exercise. Take a shower. Listen to some music. Re-watch a tv show you’ve seen a million times - you don’t want something that will be too distracting. The idea is to give your brain a break, so that when you come back, you’ll hopefully be more relaxed and less frustrated, and so that you’ll have a fresh pair of eyes to review your project. Also, sometimes during your breaks, you’ll end up having an idea that will take you out of your writer’s block. I was writing a piece and got an idea from watching Gilmore Girls - one of my favorite shows. I was having trouble establishing a relationship between two of the characters in my short story, The Wicked Witch of the West End. In the story, the two main characters have a strained relationship. Watching Lorelei and Emily argue, I got a better idea of how a conversation might happen between my characters. The characters themselves are very different from Lorelei and Emily, but the tension is similar. So, sometimes, different forms of writing can give you inspiration for your own pieces.

However, if you’ve tried everything and you are still stuck, then the best thing might be to just change the scene altogether. Sometimes if something’s not working, it’s because it needs to be re-written. Maybe the story needs to go in a different direction or the dialogue needs to be changed. Maybe you’re trying too hard for a conversation or a scene to go one way when it be more natural to go a different way. If I don’t know what to write next or if I’m bored with where the story is going, it’s missing something it needs to have.

Depending on where you are on your writing journey, or whether you are a casual writer or a professional writer, we’re all plagued by writer’s block. I hope I’ve been able to give you tools that will help you get through those roadblocks and feel more motivated to writing in spite of them. If you have any recommendations for how how get past writer’s block, feel free to share! I would love to add tools to my toolbox, but it could also help other listeners. So, thank you in advance for your advice!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode and stay tuned for the next few episodes. We will be exploring many different aspects of writing. How to create your story. How to world build. How to get published. How to get paid as a writer, which is, uh, very important. How to get started writing and much much more. There’s so much to talk about when it comes to writing. And if you have anything else you want to know more about don’t hesitate to let me know. You can find me on instagram @diaryofawriter to let me know what you want to hear next and to be notified when the next episode will be out.

Outro:

If you’ve made it this far into the podcast, thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to give this podcast a listen. As I’ve mentioned before, one of the main reasons I created this podcast is to create a community of writers. So please don’t be afraid to interact with the pod. Write a review and send in questions if you’d like.

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Thanks again for listening and I’ll see you next time!

Your Friend,

Lexie