Did you find these tips useful? Do you have other tried and tested tips that could help ward off writer’s block? Let me know your thoughts 
WHEN WRITER'S BLOCK STRIKES
7 tips to overcome writer's block and
get your writing back on track
Updated 01 May 2021
Written by Omneya Nabil
Content Alchemist & Brand Storyteller
Writer’s block usually happens when you’re too focused on writing about a specific topic or for a specific audience. You’re basically trying to force your mind into blocking every other thought or idea, because it’s not the right time for it. I’ve been writing professionally for over 15 years, but there are still days when writer’s block strikes at full force.
Considering that I literally make a living off writing – and the fact that my conscience will never allow me to miss a deadline – I can’t afford to not deliver my writings on time. I’ve tried every old and new trick in the book, and even went as far as seeking professional help from a life coach. Here are my 7 all-time favourite tips that have always helped me overcome writer’s block and saved the day!
1. Stretch, Walk or Dance
You might want to look for some distraction to get rid of your writer’s block. My very first advice would be to stay away from social media because you could very well end up spending an hour or two catching up on stories, gossip, and videos that leave you wondering how you ended up there in the first place. Save that for when you’ve completed your writing task – or as a reward when you’re finally done.
What you really need is a spike in your energy levels. Get out of your seat and do some stretches (you should be stretching every hour anyway). If you can go out for a quick walk then do that. For some reason, walking always helps bring ideas into my head. Sometimes I even walk around the living room, reciting the title and phrases I’ve already written. I keep walking around in circles until I come up with enough words to fill a page in writing.
If all else fails, put on your favourite song and dance around your room. I’m not a big fan of dancing, but I know so many writers who swear by this trick!
2. Ramble in Writing
I love rambling so much that I run around promoting it. And it’s not just because I have so much to say, fancy words to boast, and nothing better to do. After years of struggling as a perfectionist in writing, I came up with my own 3-step writing process which I call RAK (Ramble-Abbreviate-Kill). Here’s how it works:
- Ramble
Every good writer knows that a first draft is all about writing without thinking or going back to references. You just need to put down everything there is to write about the subject. The goal of this stage is to write as much as possible; you don’t even need to worry about grammar and punctuation at this point.
- Abbreviate
Once you’ve got a handful of pages – filled to the brim with words – it’s time to cut and abbreviate. During my first round of edits, I like to cut each paragraph by 30-50%. I also look out for and remove word repetitions, excessive adverbs, and long descriptions. It’s always a good idea to check for synonyms to ensure that your word choice is simple.
- Kill (your darlings)
This is the most scary and daunting part of the process. It’s also one of Stephen King’s favourite practices towards creating the perfect writing copy (originally coined by William Faulkner). I always find it heartbreaking to have to kill my most favourite sentences, but sometimes they just don’t fit within the context or appeal to my target audience.
So, where do all the darlings go?
I don’t actually kill them. Instead, I cut and paste them into a new Notion page that I call My Darlings, or jot them down in a notebook that I call my little book of ideas. I then use these darlings later to create new blog posts or discussion topics on social media.
Did I mention how awesome Notion is? It’s the ultimate workspace for anyone looking to organise their ideas, plans, and writings.
3. Seek Inspiration in Photos
Victorian English illustrator and painter, Frederick Barnard, said that a picture is worth ten thousand words. In case you’ve never heard of Barnard, he’s the ingenious artist who illustrated Charles Dickens’ novels in the 19th century. Back then, photographs and paintings were not as outstanding or awe-inspiring as they are today, but this statement still holds true.
There’s an abundance of inspiration in the world, waiting for you to explore. All you need to do is seek it – outside your comfort zone.
I personally get inspired by looking at random photos. I first noticed this a few years ago when I was looking for a specific photo to add to one of my presentations. As I browsed through pages and pages of stock photos, random thoughts and blog post ideas started popping in my head. I had to fetch my little book of ideas to jot them down.
So, the next time you’re looking for ideas head over to Pixabay or Pexels and spend a few minutes looking at photos that are relevant to your topic.
4. Scribble on Paper
To the digital haters, I get it. I’m one of you. While I appreciate how technology has contributed to improving our lives, I still prefer the pre-digital era. Almost everyone I know has replaced the retired “pen and paper” with a digital word processor. Not me. I do end up typing my work into a Word document or WordPress page, but I still insist on using pen and paper first. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
The truth is, I’m a stickler for scribbling on paper. Whenever I’m up late at night, the only thing that makes me feel more relaxed than watching videos of my cat and cockatiels is when I’m writing in my notebook. Handwritten notes are more personal, too. They’re less likely to be part of the trove of data that big companies like Facebook have been sweeping up and using. I’m also a stickler for data privacy.
I’ve come to learn that even the act of scribbling or drawing on paper can get my creative juices flowing. I must admit that it’s not the most eloquent work, but it gets my creativity going and my thoughts out of my head so I can develop them into clearly-articulated points later.
5. Get Help from AI
Amidst the buzz in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), there has been an interesting development in natural language generation lately. It’s not a new AI engine, but ready-to-use software applications that can be used to generate content of any style – and which even a layman can be trained to use. These applications use GPT-3 technology.
GPT-3 is built around the OpenAI language generator (backed by Elon Musk). It uses an impressively accurate language generation model that even inspired some authors to publish their own works using this language generator. Throughout 2020, we’ve seen a handful of startups offering tools based on GPT-3 that help writers and marketers develop their own marketing copy. Copy.ai is one of these tools (and my utmost favourite).
I personally use Copy.ai to generate topic ideas, product descriptions, and blog intros. While the output needs a lot of improvement, it’s a great place to eliminate writer’s block and start writing.
6. Write in Bite Size
Sometimes writer’s block happens when you think that the writing process is too complex or time-consuming. Imagine you’re asked for a 10,000-word whitepaper on a topic you’re not too fond of, or that you’re required to deliver the content for an entire website in just a few days (because you’ve slacked off for an entire week).
The good news is, there’s a simple way to get you to finish your writing on time! And that’s by mapping out your writing and dissecting it into bite-sized sections. Start by writing section headers (even if there are no headers in your writing) and follow by drafting a one-sentence-intro beneath each header. It’s always a good idea to start with the most challenging parts and leave the intro till the very end.
For a more exciting and rewarding experience, write the section headers on a to-do-list and check them off one by one as you proceed with your writing.
7. Sleep it Off
For a long time my clients thought I was a night owl. I would constantly deliver work between 5 and 7 am, which made them think I pulled an all-nighter every time there was a deadline. The fact is, I rarely stay up all night to finish a project, even when I get caught up with family events and end up putting off work until the night before the deadline.
When I finally get to sit down and work – you guessed it – writer’s block usually strikes! If after 30 minutes I still can’t get myself to write, I call it a day and decide to sleep it off. Sometimes your brain might be asking for a break, especially after a long and eventful day. In those cases it’s always a good idea to take a nap or even go to bed early and set your alarm an hour or two before you usually wake up. Trust me, you’ll wake up with a fresh mind, ready to take on any writing challenges.