Ah yes. The dreaded writer's block.
It happens to every. single. one. of. us.
In fact, yesterday I was supposed to have turned in a devotional for the church website and also to have published another post with writing tips but it didn't happen!
It can be downright frustrating, so does pushing through and forcing it work? Or does walking away and taking a breather unblock the brick wall blocking you from the fast, easy flow of words, better?
Well, let's first take a look at a couple things and what might be causing it.
Lack of focus - if you have ADHD or poor executive functioning skills like me, you have to really break things down in order to accomplish anything. Setting a timer, playing music, and some other things really help me, but I'll go more into that in another post.
Your goal - I dare say, everyone needs a goal of some kind in order to write. Now that being said, it doesn't have to be to finish a book or anything super grandiose, but even a simple goal like, "write in my journal every day this month", is still an admirable goal and should help give you the drive to write.
Ok, so you still can't write. You sit down in front of the computer or notepad and the words just won't come! Don't panic. Here is a list of several things that help me almost every time. Be sure to try different methods and see what works best for you.
Walk away - I mean get up and physically take a walk. Getting the blood flowing back from your butt to your head by exercising even a few minutes really does help!
Go outside - nature has a way of inspiring us, doesn't it? Go outside, smell the fresh air, brush your fingers over the rosebuds, get some sensory delights going. Look up at the birds, or even just sit quietly with your eyes closed for a few minutes and let your mind wander.
Set a timer - if you really are in crunch time and don't feel the flow, set a timer for 20 minutes and see what happens. It almost always works for me!
Play music - while some people think they don't like to write with music in the background, there's something to be said about the rhythm and movement that often gets the mind and words flowing. Try some instrumental music without words. I personally do well with a mix of Lo-Fi and / or electronic beats. lol. In fact, my fingers are flying over the keyboard while listening to some ambient dance tunes at the moment. ;)
Those are my top favorite ways to unleash the flow of words and get you back to writing in no time.
xo, Kathleen
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