Writers’ block challenges even the most prolific writers at times, and a lot of times, the only way to overcome it is to trick your brain into moving the project forward. Last month, we presented nine ways to defeat writers’ block, but these were just a few simple ideas on how to do it. This month we here at InstantPublisher will present eleven more in-depth ways to defeat writers’ block.

1 – Beat It Out

No, this does not mean punch yourself in the face or beat someone else up. This technique called “story beating” helps you break down your story into small chunks. Divide these chunks into essential scenes in your novel or story.

A good story beat should include the following information:

• The character(s) who are involved in this scene.
• The location where the action takes place
• The problem or conflict the character(s) encounter within the scene
• Specific detail or language to include within the scene as a line of dialog, descriptive detail, or feeling or tone to present (not essential, but nice to have)

All of this information can fit on an index card. You can then arrange and re-arrange the index cards to organize your story as you write. The great thing about story beats is that you can write up the significant scenes that you know you want to include within the book and add more of them as you learn and understand the flow of your story.

2 – Outline It

Outlining is equivalent to story beats for non-fiction projects (although many writers use outlines for fiction projects). Many writers resist outlining because they feel it stifles their creativity. This is simply not true. Your outline does not have to be a formally organized (1,2,3; a,b,c; i,ii,iii) indented approach. It can be a series of notes on a single sheet of paper listing all of the important information you want to cover in your project. You can also create the outline of notes on index cards to provide flexibility in organizing your project. An outline can be as simple as a list of topics you want to write about in your project, or full-blown sentences and notes to include within the book’s final draft.

3 – Design Your Book Cover

Sometimes the best approach to beating writers’ block is a misdirection. In this case, you are working on something completely different to spark the imagination. Taking time to design the book cover for your book is a great way to distract your blocked mind while still moving forward with the project. Even if you don’t use your book cover design, it will give you, or the custom book cover artist you hire, some ideas for the final book cover art. Here are some tasks you can do to help with your book cover design:

• Select stock images or photos you’d like to use for your cover
• Find a good model for your lead character for the book cover
• Review cover designs for books similar to yours already for sale. Do you see any patterns or obvious “dos and don’ts?” What cover designs do you like?
• Select font types and sizes for your cover
• Look at various color schemes for the cover

4 – Storyboard It

This technique is favored by writers who are more skilled at drawing, but you don’t have to be a skilled visual artist to use it. Storyboards have been used for decades in the movie industry to help writers and directors visualize the scene. Comic book writers and artists also use this technique to map out a story’s look and feel. So sketch out a pivotal scene or a scene that gives you trouble in a series of comic panels. Again no fancy artistry is needed; stick figures and rough shapes are good enough.

5 – Eliminate Distractions

What is distracting you from your writing project? Is it your messy, disorganized desk? Spend an hour cleaning it up. Losing focus by looking out of the window and daydreaming? Close your blinds. Getting distracted by social media or news on the internet? Shut it down (at least temporarily) during your writing time. There are applications such as Freedom and RescueTime can help if you have trouble doing it on your own.

Bottom line: Figure out what is pulling you away from your writing and try to mitigate these challenges to get back to your writing.

6 – Write a Synopsis

Agents use synopses to get a summary of the story. It is essentially a high-level overview of the characters, plot, and unique features of the story. The synopsis should not be longer than one single-spaced typewritten page (or around 500 words). Do not leave any significant story twist out of the story to preserve the surprise.

7 – Step Away from the Project for a Day or Two

Sometimes the best way to work through writers’ block is to let it sort itself out on its own. Allow your subconscious mind to continue working on the problem while you focus on other things. Work on other projects, write in your journal, read a book, whatever it takes to distract your mind from the problem at hand.

8 – Write a Letter

Write a letter to a close friend, loved one, or ideal reader that describes the problem from your perspective. Tell them about the story, the challenges you are encountering, and what you think might be causing the block. Explain the story in detail and what you hope to get from writing the story in the first place.

9 – Create an Elevator Pitch

Elevator pitches work for fiction or non-fiction projects. The technique helps you quickly boil down to the essence of your project so that you can clearly communicate it to that famous agent you happen to run into on an elevator. You have exactly 30 seconds to impress the agent, so tell him/her what your project is about, who would want to read it, and what other projects your project is similar to.

For example, a elevator pitch comparison for Susanne Collins book, The Hunger Games might be presented as a combination of the reality TV show Survivor, and Richard Connell’s famous short story, “The Most Dangerous Game.” This story where a big game hunter decides to hunt humans for sport is not a far leap from the savage games presented in the world of Panem.

10– Make a List of Questions About Your Project

Take 15 to 30 minutes and generate a list of questions that you think you need to answer before continuing your formal writing on the project. Write them down as fast as you can. They don’t need to perfect, and you won’t necessarily need to answer all of them to move forward with your writing. Sometimes just asking the question is good enough to spark your creativity and push you forward.

11 – Just Start Writing

If you just can’t seem to get anything going, simply set an easy “low-hanging fruit” writing goal today for you to achieve. The goal should be ridiculously easy to achieve, so you won’t resist doing it, and once you reach that goal, you can consider your writing work for the day done and go on with the rest of your day guilt-free. Here are some examples of “low-hanging fruit” writing goals.

• Sit at your desk for 15 minutes and try to work on your writing project. Don not get up, look away, or do any online research for the story. Just sit at your computer and try to move forward with your writing.
• Re-read the work you did in your last writing session and write one paragraph.
• Write one sentence.
• Research critical information for your writing project for 10 minutes.

Sometimes just sitting down to write with low-expectations, you’ll discover that your brain will want to continue working on the project once you get started.

What technique do you use to break through writers’ block? Let us know by leaving a reply below.

Let InstantPublisher Bring Your Creative Ideas to Life

Once you have broken through your writer’s block and have finished your book, send it to InstantPublisher. InstantPublisher is a full-service book printing and binding company that has served self-published authors since 2004. We are an affordable option for self-published authors everywhere. To learn more, contact us at 1-800-259-2592, fill out our online contact form, or send an email to questions@instantpublisher.com to get more information about our book publishing services.

Every author has struggled with writer’s block at some point during their writing life. It is one of the most common issues encountered by both amateur and professional writers everywhere. In order to see your book end up in print, you must be able to smash through writer’s block.

1 – Establish a Writing Habit

Pliny the Elder said it best, “Nulla dies sine linea.” Translation: “Not a day without a line.” Even as far back as the early days of the Roman Empire, when Pliny the Elder lived, writers understood the importance of a daily writing habit. The only way to be sure that you find the time each day to write is to do it every day. And don’t miss days.

In modern times this works just as well. Jerry Seinfeld, yes that Jerry, made a habit in his early career to write one new joke every day and had a calendar next to his desk where he drew a big red X over that day after he completed his joke each day. He did it the next day and the next day, creating an unbroken chain of days where he wrote every single day. The more days you write and keep the chain intact, the more pressure you have to keep your streak alive. This is the essence of creating a writing habit.

2 – Write at the Same Time Each Day

This method is related to method #1 above. Your brain is wired to love routine. Routines and habits mean the brain expends less energy to operate, and the brain likes that. So, writing at the same time each day reinforces that writing habit.  Having a daily writing ritual is a way to prime your brain and let it know that it is time to write. This is a prevalent habit for almost all successful, best-selling authors.

3 – Set a Strict Deadline

Nothing inspires creativity like a rigid, tangible deadline. Did you ever have a paper due that you knew about weeks in advance, and you couldn’t even think of a topic for the paper, let alone write the paper itself, until the night before it was due? Suddenly, fueled by adrenaline and panic, a great topic presents itself, and you plow through writing the paper in one marathon session. The problem with writing for yourself is that you do not have anyone giving you deadlines (most of the time), and you need to do this for yourself.

4 – Free Yourself to Write Badly

No writers write pretty first drafts. This is the truth about the writing life. So you need to permit yourself to write the worst crap on the face of the earth–just as long as you write something. Most of the hard work of writing happens when you fix up that terrible first draft.

5 – Warm Up Before Each Writing Session

An excellent way to start each writing session is by having a short 10 to 15-minute freewriting session where you write about whatever is on your mind or bothering you that day. This helps get those thoughts and worries out of the way so you can focus on the real work of writing.

6 – Write the Easy Parts First

Getting stuck in the middle of a writing project is never easy. Many people think you need to write sequentially, beginning with page one and not stopping until you reach the words “The End.” But who says that you must write this way? If you find yourself stuck and don’t know what you will write next, skip ahead to the next part where you know what you need to write about. There is nothing wrong with writing a story out of sequence. In fact, many–if not most–writers write out of sequence. So don’t be afraid to skip to the next part of your manuscript where you know what needs to be written next and go back and build the connections from the previous scene to the next scene at another time.

7 – Work in a New Location

Sometimes all it takes to break through a writer’s block is a change of scenery. Going to a coffee shop or the library might be enough to kick your mind into gear just because of the novelty of the change. You can do this at home by writing outside or in a different location within the house. If you are stuck, give this a try.

8 – Get Active

Sometimes the best way to deal with writer’s block is to move your body by taking a walk or working out. Moving helps wake up your body and mind, and doing something other than writing might be just what you need to get a breakthrough.

9 – Change Your Tools

If you usually write by sitting in front of a computer and typing into your word processor, try writing long-hand in a notebook or sketching out scenes in a storyboard format. If you usually write using a ballpoint pen, try using a fountain pen or even crayons to change up the process and approach.

Let InstantPublisher Bring Your Creative Ideas to Life

Once you have broken through your writer’s block and have finished your book, send it to InstantPublisher. InstantPublisher is a full-service book printing and binding company that has served self-published authors since 2004. We are an affordable option for self-published authors everywhere. To learn more, contact us at 1-800-259-2592, fill out our online contact form, or send an email to questions@instantpublisher.com to get more information about our book publishing services.