Here it is, that intersection every writer stumbles upon at least once in a life time—writers block. That one unwanted companion singing, “Hello, it’s me.” And in return you think, “But…I don’t want you here.” So here are some ways of finding a map to navigate this situation, a green light, a crosswalk to make it across the street!
Step away from the source ~ Sometimes your eyes need some natural sunlight rather than blue light from a computer screen. Sometimes your eyes need to hear birds chirping rather than the migraine inducing click-click-click of a keyboard. Sometimes your brain, body, and blank piece of paper need a break. An experiment proved that taking a walk, no matter how short or where, increased a person’s creativity by a whopping 60%! On the treadmill or feet, outdoors or in, for five minutes or an hour, it’ll get the creative juices flowing.
Whether physical activity in general holds a direct link to divergent ways of thinking, who knows! But walking sure does! Have yu ever felt stuck in a sticky situation? Did you pace trying to ponder up a solution? Did it give you an “AHA” moment? If it did, try it again for creativity. As the article states “Physical activity is important and sitting too often is unhealthy. This study is another justification for integrating bouts of physical activity into the day, whether it’s recess at school or turning a meeting at work into a walking one.” With so many benefitsm it’s certainly worth a shot.
Change…something ~ Is handwriting with pen and paper your go-to? Try typing. Do you typically listen to music? Next time, don’t pull up a playlist. Only during the early mornings? Give before bed a shot. Routines are tools to meet deadlines, cultivate hobbies, and familiarize yourself with your writer’s voice—just don’t allow habits to become hindrances. Your brain is getting a bit too comfortable with it’s hamster wheel, so try out a new cycle!
Externalize ~ Pinterest boards, playlists, notes, voice memos,—all give you a sneak peek of the bigger picture. Don’t let your story remain an idea; turn it into a reality. Because sometimes an idea feels like just that—an idea. These simple, but effective, tools remind you it will become much more… knock on wood! Other times, you may forget your original thought or ultimate goal; externalizing brings you back to what you originally set out for as they’re physical representations of what your past self wanted for the story. If you have a trusted friend, don’t hesitate to speak with them. It’s helpful to hear your idea become a reality one word at a time. They might offer a listening ear, brilliant new ideas, insight, or, if you’re open to it, constructive criticism—and it helps you remember! With everything dotted down one place or another, nothing can slip through the cracks!
Three ways of seeking inspiration~
- What you consider bad movies or shows are great starters- not because you’re going to copy the plot, but because you can analyze where it went south. While watching, you may think, “Why did they do that?” or “It would have been better if,” and there you go. Being judgmental isn’t typically a positive trait—or so they say—but if it helps you create better ideas, then so be it. Perhaps those ideas will sprout new ones until your mind becomes a tree with branches full of possibilities.
- Inspire new ideas by writing them down—no matter how horrendous you believe them to be at the moment. If you write down 20 bad ideas, perhaps two combined could create a better one. Don’t dismiss ideas simply because you think they’re not good enough or you might let a fantastic one dash past you.
- Expand your horizons by reading a new genre, writing from a different perspective,playing around with your style, ect. Trying new things is a teeny tiny bit petrifying, but what if you discover something your muse adores?
Just do it; just write ~ Easy in theory; daunting to do. But this doesn’t mean writing a well-developed novel in one go, writing a short story in one sitting, neither does it mean writing a heartfelt poem on a whim. It means to sit down, overcome your fear of words, and do this anyway. Not because you’re a masochist, but to prove to yourself you can do it! Defenestrate grammar—what’s the difference between “there,” “their,” and “they’re” anyway? Grow amnesia towards the concept of spelling—who cares how to properly spell “gobbledygook”? Disown the notion of logic—why can’t the American state of Mississippi be located in Austria-Hungary where everyone speaks ASL? Because the purpose of this exercise isn’t any of the above; it’s simply to spark up creativity, keep a streak of consistency, improve your craft, to become more comfortable in the process of writing, and slowly coming to terms with the realization that nothing will be flawless on the first try. You can start by setting a timer for one minute, then two, three, four, five, and so on every day, with the only intention being to write a steady stream of words without scanning for prior mistakes. You could write about your day, a story you have in mind, a project you abandoned months ago, school gossip, debunking the tale of Bigfoot, a summary about ancient historical tactics and why they were effective, an essay debating which is a better sports team—the Mets or Yankees, explaining how much wood a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood… Are you picking up what I’m putting down? If not, all those were examples of writing prompts—brief statements or questions that provide a general idea of a story to write about. Writing prompts are practically a perfect solution to overcome writers block, so here’s a list of 50!
| Non-fiction | Fiction |
| 1. Describe your bedroom or your “safe space” as if you were a stranger walking in for the first time. What do your things say about you?
2. Share details about a hobby or niche interest you have that others might find a little strange. Why do you enjoy it? 3. What is your childhood nickname, and who gave it to you? Does it still feel like a “good fit” for who you are today? 4. Describe your first job or a major volunteer role. What was the environment like, and how did you feel on your very first day? 5. Choose a significant photograph and write the true story behind the image that the camera didn’t capture. 6. Describe a recent trip or outing, focusing entirely on one vivid, significant memory that sticks with you. 7. How did you meet your best friend? Provide the vivid details of that first encounter and what you thought of them then. 8. Identify a favorite quote and explain the specific moment in your life when it finally started to make sense to you. 9. Explain an event in your life that you and someone close to you remember differently. Describe both points of view. 10. Tell a happy memory in a way that shifts the details to make the atmosphere feel creepy, eerie, or unsettling. 11. Describe a “twist of fate” moment in your life—a small, random occurrence that changed everything that followed. 12. Write about a time you stood up for a cause you believed in, even if it was just in a small way. 13. Write about a time you felt like an outsider at an event or gathering where you were supposed to belong. 14. Reflect on the first time you realized that an adult you look up to didn’t actually have all the answers. 15. Choose a person you know and imagine their life before you met them. What were their dreams and struggles? 16. Describe a moment where you chose not to act or speak up, and explore the consequences that followed that silence. 17. Write about a song that deeply impacted you. What was happening in your life when that song became your “anthem”? 18. Reflect on a friendship that ended or drifted apart. What did you learn from that transition about what you need from people? 19. Reflect on a time you failed at something you cared about. What did that experience teach you about resilience? 20. Recall a moment of complete, undeniable peace and love. Describe the setting and the feeling of that stillness. 21. What do you want to do more than anything else in this life? What is the “why” that drives this desire? 22. Write the apology you never gave (or the one you never received) and explain why it still matters today. 23. Write about a time you felt deeply betrayed by someone you trusted. How did you handle the aftermath? 24. Reflect on a secret you have never shared with anyone. How has the weight of keeping it shaped your identity? 25. What is the most important lesson you have learned about yourself so far? How will that lesson guide your future? |
1. A character undergoes a life-saving organ transplant and begins to take on the characteristics and personality traits of their unknown donor.
2. Two strangers wake up handcuffed together in a room with a note saying one of them is a spy. 3. A character rescues an injured crow and nurses it back to health. Once released, the bird keeps returning, always bringing unusual gifts. 4. A character finds old photos of themselves as a child, but in the background is a person who looks exactly like they do now. 5. A man who loves journaling sits down to write an entry, but sees that someone else has already written one for him. 6. A character can “undo” one day of their life, but changing it will erase the person they love most from existence. 7. The first A.I. is elected into office. 8. Every lie a person tells manifests as a physical bruise on their skin. 9. A character discovers that their pulse is actually a countdown timer, and it just started ticking faster. 10. A character finds a button that can pause the world, but they age a year for every day that passes while it’s paused. 11. A character discovers that their dreams are actually the real-life memories of a missing person. 12. A character finds a primitive cave painting that depicts a modern-day car accident in perfect detail. 13. You buy a house and find a hidden basement filled with identical statues of yourself. 14. A fantasy world where everyone who dies is reincarnated and can remember each of their past lives. 15. You find a map of your city where all the “haunted” locations are actually government safe houses. 16. You realize your “imaginary friend” from childhood is currently standing in your living room as an adult. 17. You receive a phone call from your own number, and it’s your older self asking for help. 18. A character buys a pair of glasses that show the “price tag” of every person’s secrets. 19. In a society where people can “save” their youth in a jar, a character discovers their jar has been stolen. 20. The moon suddenly disappears, and the world realizes it was a giant satellite that was just turned off. 21. A character is the only person on Earth who can still see the color blue. 22. A character finds old binoculars that don’t see further in distance, but see exactly one hour into the future. 23. A character discovers that every time they fall in love, the person they love forgets that anyone else in the world exists. 24. A character can “mute” people in real life, but the silence starts to fill up with something terrifying. 25. Every person on Earth simultaneously receives a notification saying “Trial Period Ended,” and all colors begin to fade to grey. |
At last, the most important of all, is to realize that not every trick, pro-tip, or piece of feedback will be relevant to you. And this, out of everything, is the most important to take into consideration. If you find that creativity comes to you during an extended break from writing: well than, creativity comes to you during an extended break from writing! See how nothing happened in admitting that? Because…there’s no right way to write—alright!?
