4 Fast Tips on How to Beat Writer’s Block

If you don’t write for a living, or if you’re new to a particular style of writing, odds are good that sooner or later you’ll encounter “writer’s block.” That’s the colloquial phrase for the utter lack of ideas or inspiration that strikes when you try to get your topic out of your head and onto the page or monitor screen.

This piece gives you four proven methods to blast that block to smithereens and get your creativity out to the world where it can do some good. Ready?

1. “Steal” some inspiration. OK, so you’re not going to actually plagiarize someone else’s work, but you can let it serve as a guide. As you read works similar to the one you’re working on, ask yourself a few questions: How did they structure the piece of writing – is there a particular format? Are there certain key themes you must include (and paraphrase)? What emotions did it cause you to feel or what action did it encourage you to take? Most importantly of all, how could you improve upon it?

2. Use a mind map. If your writing brainstorms have been more like light drizzles, then it’s time for you to do a little seeding of the creative clouds. A mind map helps you do just that. While the phrase might sound intimidatingly intellectual and high-falutin’, creating a mind map is simple. Take a clean sheet of paper. Draw a small oval in the middle. Write a one or two-word description of your topic in the middle of the oval. Now, using free association, think of the first four related words that come to your mind. Write them down in their own ovals and draw lines from each of the new words to the first word. Continue this until you have at least 20 circles total.

By referring to these free association words, you now have enough base material to write several articles or blog posts, a term paper, a whitepaper, a speech, even an entire book!

3. Ask someone else. Do some “market research.” Ask friends or relatives, “Hey, if you were going to read something about (your topic), what kind of things would you want to know?” Jot down their questions, then provide the answers as you write.

4. Begin in the middle or end. Sometimes you know what you want to say, but just have no idea how to start it off. Rather than gum up the entire works because of a lead sentence that makes up 5 percent or less of your document, start with the meaty stuff in the middle. Just because people read from beginning to end doesn’t mean you have to write that way. Start with the solid stuff in the middle, and often the beginning will come to you not much later, like a divine flash of inspiration!

Try any of these tips next time you’re feeling stuck while staring at the keyboard. In time, you’ll get so good that you employ them without even thinking about them – and you’ll be cranking out items like a copy machine. Happy writing!