Indeed, writer’s block is the greatest enemy of English papers, personal projects, and storytelling. However, there are many effective strategies to oppose this motivation-stealing antagonist.
English Papers
Jot Notes
Brainstorm various points that you wish to address, such as analysis, before writing. Likewise, this strategy allows for efficient organization, and can prevent students from obtaining writer’s block midway through their papers.
Review Assignment Expectations
Reviewing requirements allows for better understanding of standards, and expectations that must be addressed. Moreover, specified criteria, along with examples, provide excellent advice regarding word count, sentence structure, and voice (e.g. third person). Notably, analyzing examples can help students receive new ideas for different paragraph topics.
Flexibility
Play around with sentence structure, and find ways to concisely showcase your thoughts. Notably, (unless otherwise instructed) high school teachers prefer a balance of thoughtful, detailed, and summarized papers, instead of ridiculously long essays. Additionally, never cower away from abandoning or deleting earlier drafts, especially if points can be worded differently.
Scheduling
For long-term assignments (e.g. essays), always schedule certain periods in which you spend around 15-30 productive minutes completing your assignment in the days leading up to the deadline (projects should be completed 1-2 days prior to the due date, in case of illness). This not only reduces stress, but allows students to actively practice their writing productivity.
Editing Stages
Prior to submissions, students should always reread their work aloud to themselves, or a trusted peer (recommendably a friend in the same English class). While editing, be sure to correct any grammatical, technical, or structural errors, and double-check any mandatory requirements. Moreover, ensure that your work has been completed in the proper format (e.g. correct font, hardcopy, digitized).
Personal Projects
Schedule Breaks
Regardless of experience, writers should always factor in breaks for themselves, especially for personal projects. Constantly spending hours on the same project is not only mentally draining, but can lead to long-term writer’s block. Recommendably, spend at least an hour writing, and 15 minutes resting.
Create Playlists
Research shows that listening to music increases creativity. As a result, writers may find benefit in creating playlists (recommendably songs that relate to the genre of their current project) to reduce boredom, and increase the length of their work hours. However, please note that results may vary depending on the person, as well as their preferred work ethics.
Read
Most people experience writer’s block due to lack of inspiration. Consequently, rereading your favourite books, or even rewatching televised media (e.g. movies) can definitely provide fresh ideas for stories, and plots. This is especially effective when analyzing media of the same genre (e.g. reading Nancy Drew while writing a mystery novel).
Collaboration
Sometimes, talking to others is the best solution. Discussing uncertainties or doubts, especially in regards to novels, have shown to improve writing, and reduce plot holes. Furthermore, speaking with other writers, and bouncing ideas off of one another, reawakens the flow of creativity.
Brainstorming
While some people obtain writer’s block during the writing process, others may find difficulty in beginning new projects. Instead, writers can brainstorm random thoughts, such as characters, story elements, or themes, those of which can evolve into more fleshed-out ideas later on.
Creative Writing Prompts
What if…?
Find a favourite story (book, movie, show, etc.), and rewrite the ending. For example, what if Voldemort had won at the end of Harry Potter? Not only does this prompt evoke excitement, but it additionally provides opportunities for new, original ideas to surface.
Personal Retellings
Oftentimes, writers tend to develop stories based on their own experiences. However, some people may have trouble finding events that can effectively resonate with diverse viewers. Instead, find a memorable event from your life, and exaggerate the situation’s intensity (e.g. a fever becomes life-threatening).
Perspective Swap
Using your first draft (or a pre-existing story), experiment with retelling the story from another person’s perspective. For example, instead of the protagonist, write it from the supporting character’s point of view, or perhaps through the antagonist’s eyes.
Pick a Theme
If writer’s block has prevented you from creating a plot, then create a theme as an alternative. Specifically, choose an inspirational or relatable message (e.g. family, love, death), and develop a story, or plot that revolves around that theme.
Song Reference
If experiencing a lack of creativity, shuffle your Spotify playlist, and pick a randomized song to write a short story about. As a challenge, attempt to creatively incorporate a couple words, lines, or verses (or even the song’s title) within the story (e.g. themes, symbols).
Word Count Challenge
Challenge your summarizing skills by creating a word limit for your stories, which decreases with every draft you make (this strategy is recommended for short stories). For example, start at a limit of 900, then gradually decrease it to 700, 400, and so on.
Hopefully, this article has provided useful information that can help you overcome writer’s block. Wishing you the best of luck for your current, and future writing projects!
