Ever suffer from writer's block from time to time? Is there a pending project you are putting off because you lack the inspiration to even get it started? Cheer up -- it happens to me as well, and I've been writing for decades. Writing can often be a case of peaks and valleys; one day you have the Midas Touch, where everything you write turns to gold, however the next day you would find yourself hard-pressed to string even a few words together to form a sentence. I've been around, as you may infer, and here are some tips you can try, all proven effective basing on my past experience trying these tips myself.
Germination of Ideas. Follow my advice and you might just think your way out of writer's block, particularly if you are thinking of a good topic but cannot seem to pull one out of your bag of tricks. Speaking from experience, one way I have come up with ideas is by brainstorming while walking in the neighborhood park and taking in the tranquil environment around me. With the soothing sounds of Kenny G emanating from my iPod, I take in the wonders of Mother Nature, literally tip-toeing through the tulips, observing Robin Red Breast and his friends discuss the beauty of spring among themselves and imagining those rabbits eating actual carrots like they do in children's cartoons. When I am relaxed, I can think much more clearly. It sure beats sitting in front of my computer fretting about my work! Find a source of inspiration and relaxation and you will find those ideas.
Grow That Interest. Of course we will all agree that writing about those things that interest us is much easier; I, personally, would rather write about knitting and interior design rather than baseball, which my husband loves [I personally abhor all kinds of sports, but that's just me], or heavy machinery, which is obviously not something a 55-year-old lady like myself would know much about. You can raise your interest by researching the topic. During those dreaded moments I have to write about baseball, I simply ask my hubby, who is a walking baseball encyclopedia AND proud of it, or I simply go to the library or scour the Internet for information on cars, machinery and other topics I am not familiar with. And once you have done a bit of research, that should at the very least increase your interest in the topic, even by a smidgen, which is better than no interest at all.
Make an Outline. Write a topic sentence and then "bullet" three or four key points that you want to make. Expand each point into one paragraph each; collectively these points will comprise the body of your article. A brief conclusion [summation] tying all the points together at the end of the article will bring things "to a wrap."
Marinate 'em. What, am I comparing your article to a polar bear? Rather, once you have written your article put it aside for a day or two and then come back to it. That insatiable wanderlust for writing might just need those extra days before it returns with a vengeance. More than likely you will catch grammatical errors, locate incomplete or unclear thoughts, or find errors in punctuation by stepping back for a period of time.
Here's hoping you enjoyed my quick article about not being able to write articles -- in short, how to go about overcoming writer's block. If you find yourself hindered by the "paralysis of analysis" when it comes to selecting a winning topic, then you must step away, regroup, and come back only when sufficiently inspired. You can write with a mission and with enthusiasm for your craft once you successfully defeat writer's block.
Germination of Ideas. Follow my advice and you might just think your way out of writer's block, particularly if you are thinking of a good topic but cannot seem to pull one out of your bag of tricks. Speaking from experience, one way I have come up with ideas is by brainstorming while walking in the neighborhood park and taking in the tranquil environment around me. With the soothing sounds of Kenny G emanating from my iPod, I take in the wonders of Mother Nature, literally tip-toeing through the tulips, observing Robin Red Breast and his friends discuss the beauty of spring among themselves and imagining those rabbits eating actual carrots like they do in children's cartoons. When I am relaxed, I can think much more clearly. It sure beats sitting in front of my computer fretting about my work! Find a source of inspiration and relaxation and you will find those ideas.
Grow That Interest. Of course we will all agree that writing about those things that interest us is much easier; I, personally, would rather write about knitting and interior design rather than baseball, which my husband loves [I personally abhor all kinds of sports, but that's just me], or heavy machinery, which is obviously not something a 55-year-old lady like myself would know much about. You can raise your interest by researching the topic. During those dreaded moments I have to write about baseball, I simply ask my hubby, who is a walking baseball encyclopedia AND proud of it, or I simply go to the library or scour the Internet for information on cars, machinery and other topics I am not familiar with. And once you have done a bit of research, that should at the very least increase your interest in the topic, even by a smidgen, which is better than no interest at all.
Make an Outline. Write a topic sentence and then "bullet" three or four key points that you want to make. Expand each point into one paragraph each; collectively these points will comprise the body of your article. A brief conclusion [summation] tying all the points together at the end of the article will bring things "to a wrap."
Marinate 'em. What, am I comparing your article to a polar bear? Rather, once you have written your article put it aside for a day or two and then come back to it. That insatiable wanderlust for writing might just need those extra days before it returns with a vengeance. More than likely you will catch grammatical errors, locate incomplete or unclear thoughts, or find errors in punctuation by stepping back for a period of time.
Here's hoping you enjoyed my quick article about not being able to write articles -- in short, how to go about overcoming writer's block. If you find yourself hindered by the "paralysis of analysis" when it comes to selecting a winning topic, then you must step away, regroup, and come back only when sufficiently inspired. You can write with a mission and with enthusiasm for your craft once you successfully defeat writer's block.
No comments:
Post a Comment