Have you ever had Writers Block and not sure how to handle it? - TopicsExpress

Have you ever had Writers Block and not sure how to handle it? Well I recently wrote something about just this subject. Here are some suggestions to help with this. I do these and they help me. My hope is they may help other writers too. I would also be interested in hearing what you all do to help with this subject. Writers block is a real phenomenon but it can be overcome, with practice and perseverance. I try to discover what the cause of my writer’s block is. Is it the plot or is it my inner critic? If it is the latter, I ignore the voice and keep writing. I also need to recharge my creative battery so to speak, so I will either talk a walk while listening to soothing music, or music I use while writing that particular book. Once that is done I will return to my computer feeling refreshed and ready to look at the manuscript once again. Another thing I do is look at the scene that has me blocked; I look to see if a change in the POV would change things. Or would a rewrite it? Or is the scene even necessary. I have been known to put the manuscript away and focus on doing something physical, such as go walk on the treadmill. This seems to help my brain from over thinking things. On occasion I have been known to also call up my critique partners or other author friends and see if they see the solution to my problem when I can’t. Often a few hours away from my computer will be all that is needed to break through my creative blockage. After all, writing should be fun. When I find that the joy of creating is missing from my writing life, taking a short break and work at restoring the balance comes.