Help, I’ve got writers’ block! Usually, I have a million and one things to say but I have so much going on right now that my little ole brain has gone to sleep without me! Not a good time really either, seeing as I’m writing the first draft of my co-authored book this week with a looming deadline!
So what can you do when you are just staring at a blank screen or sheet of paper? Here are 7 things to try when you’ve got writer’s block.
1. Phone a friend – maybe literally but I ask my close friends if they can inspire me. In fact, I did this just last night. I’m part of a mastermind group that I created with an amazing group of business friends. Each day we support each other, whether it’s something we need help with brainstorming, inspiration, somewhere to talk about how we feel or in this case somewhere to go when you have no idea what to write! (ps – We’re also putting together a fabulous free Telesummit in May – more on that soon!)
2. Do something completely different. My friend, Rebekah Harriman, reminded me last night about taking a complete break from what you’re doing and to go and do something else. She actually suggested I do some hula hooping! Apparently it works wonders! I attended a Neuroscience for Coaches webinar recently and it was fascinating how they can now prove the connections between lots of the things we do in coaching and why they are effective. In this case the brain needs ‘restful activity’, so it’s engaged in something that’s not related to what we’re trying to solve/figure out. Going for a walk, reading a book, taking a shower etc. All of these things allow our brains the restful activity we need and when you think about it that’s when we often come up with our most creative ideas.
3. Create/use swipe files – Have you heard of a swipe file? It’s what graphic designers, creatives et al use to save images/content etc. Emma Heasman wrote a good article about it a while back. I use all sorts of things as my own ‘swipe files’. Some of these might be useful to you too, so I’ll share;
- A notebook – Write it down! Carry a little notebook around with you in case inspiration strikes. It’s amazing how quick your muse disappears. Capture that amazing idea as soon as you can! I love having my little notebook – I get to pretend to be a super creative person, kinda artsy!
- Pinterest – I got a message the other day saying, ‘I didn’t know you were Queen of Pinterest‘! I am just a teeny bit in love with it, as you can see if you view my pins and boards. It’s a great place to collate ideas and links to websites etc (and in an organised way, which as a Virgo is super important to me!)
- Pocket – I love the Pocket App – Like Pinterest you can save lots of links to blog posts and it’s easy to search – Not sure why I use both but hey, it works for me!
- Evernote – fabulous little app for capturing snippets of info and completely searchable. You know those little links or quotes that you don’t want to lose, but know if you write them down it will take forever to find again? That’s where Evernote comes in.
- Data Bank – I have a folder on my computer for magazine articles, scanned cuttings from Psychologies, People Management, that kind of thing, divided into subfolders (see Pinterest bullet point about Virgo!) and then when I’m stuck I can read a quick article and get inspiration
4. Read blog posts/books – both related and unrelated to what you do. It’s always great to learn new things. Don’t always think blog posts have to be about your area, often there are links (ok sometimes tenuous links in my blog posts!) that you can make to lead into your subject. As I read books now I’ve started to take notes in a pretty little book, it helps me retain information and gives me ideas for later posts. Plus the added bonus is I will soon have lots of info for book reviews too – aka another blog post!
5. Brainstorm – write down headers for everything you know about your field of work and see what comes up. You’ll be amazed at how much you know about your area when you start pulling together a big list and getting some ideas down on paper.
6. Rehash/repurpose content – remember that blog post you wrote a while back about confidence or something related to your coaching? Write something else on the same subject, just write it from a different perspective, do a bit more research around it and beef it up.
7. Change your location – sometimes you need a change of scenery to get those creative juices flowing. Move into another room, work in the garden (weather permitting!), go to the local cafe (my personal favourite!)
So in today’s post I’ve shared with you some hints and tips to get your mojo (motivation) going again. I hope it’s helped you. It’s definitely helped me to get my post written!
I’d love to hear what you do when your brain doesn’t want to play and you’re on a deadline. Let me know in the comments below. I’m looking forward to learning lots of new ways to move away from writers’ block, especially this week!!!
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Great strategies in here Ruby, a while ago I was reading something on creativity and it also talked about changing states or perspectives.
Loving how you organise your biz. I think you can add the Queen of Organisation to your accolades 😉
Great idea Antonina, that takes it a bit further than just switching up what you’re doing. Like it
Great tips, Ruby!
I always remind myself the reason behind my writing… Seeing with my internal eyes my dream coming true… all my writing blocks instantly run away.
Being a serial procrastinator and still never missing a deadline, I am always doing the right thing in the last day. Somehow, the time freeze for me and I suddenly have plenty of it to finish my task. It’s same in the writer’s block case. But… I have to admit that before freezing the time
Thank you for taking your time to write this article. It is very useful.
Aaaa… I was almost to forget
Checked the link that you provided about your co-authored book. It sounds very interesting to me. especially the health section 
M.C. Simon recently posted…The Demon of the Black Gate
I like the idea around seeing the dream coming true. Let me know how you get on with the book
Well… I didn’t apply yet… still thinking
In fact I am trapped between 3 of my books that have deadlines in May. Don’t know if it is free space on my plate now. But I would love seeing my name near yours 
Timing is key for these things, isn’t it! It seems there is a lot of interest so it may well run for a few more series of books yet
Thank you for sharing these great ideas on writer’s block! We all experience this time to time. Great to have some tips to work through it.
Glad you like the post Patti. We never know when writer’s block will strike so it’s good to be prepared!
Nice tips Ruby! Jotting down things that pop into my head as I go about my daily business is a habit I need to get into- I’m sure if I did so I’d never run out of things to write about!
It’s a great way to keep things in one place Anna, and it gets it all out of your head too so you have space for other things!