WEEK 1
OVERCOMING WRITER’S BLOCK
OVERCOMING WRITER’S BLOCK
Welcome to Week 1 of Overcoming Writer’s Block! I am so happy to have you on this journey with me!
I will start this workshop by introducing writer’s block, defining what it is, and how you can take steps to become unstuck.
Many writers suffer from writer's block at one time or another in the writing lives. Writer’s block occurs when a writer’s creativity is frozen. It seems that no matter what the writer does, (s)he seems stuck and unable to write. This can be frustrating and it can take time to get out of this negative mind set once it sets in. So, ideally, it is best to not become blocked or stuck in the first place. I will show you how to do this during this workshop.
There are many reasons why writing block occurs, and sometimes no matter what writers do, they can become stuck in a rut. Writer’s block can especially occur if you’re an all-or-nothing writer, if you’re constantly disturbed by your family and other activities, or if you suffer from burn out. This week, I will offer 5 tips to overcome writer's block that every writer can rely on.
Some writers are overwhelmed by the devastating effects of writer’s block. The good news is that there are many things that writers can do to overcome it. The trick is to try and do something about writer’s block before it gets to be a real problem.
Here are six introductory tips to avoid writer’s block:
1. Give yourself permission to write
Many writers feel guilty when they sit down to write. They figure that there is so much to do and so many places to go. This is especially the case if the writer is part of a family of non-writers—which covers most of us. We want to write. But our family always wants to be going and doing something other than write. Sometimes, this can cause a lot of negative feelings and guilt for the writer.
The best way to handle such a situation is to give yourself permission to write, every day, even if you’re experiencing writer’s block. You can do this by telling your family that you won’t be joining them for some of their activities and outings. And then while your family is away, you could do your writing for the day. You must be serious about your writing in order for family to take your writing seriously.
2. Don’t be an all-or-nothing writer.
Many writers write for four hours one day and then don’t write at all the next few days. This kind of haphazardness and inconsistency in your writing can paralyze your productivity levels over time and allow the ugliness of writer’s block to set in. Further, the lack of consistency in your writing routine can really put a damper on any kind of consistent productivity. And this negative mind set can cause a lot of difficulty for the writer.
So, the best way to eliminate writer’s block is to write every day. Even if you only write for a half an hour to an hour, it is important for you to simply sit down and write. Don’t let anything or anyone stop you. There is nothing that can stop writer’s block more readily and successfully than the consistency of writing every day. You’ll be in the habit of writing and you will enjoy the process of writing.
3. Set consistent times to write
Many writers aren’t able to write consistently. Instead, they find sporadic times to write, on sporadic projects. This kind of inconsistency can cause a lot of disorganization and psychological dislocation for writers. In addition, it is important for writers to get into the habit of writing. And nothing can eliminate writer’s block faster than writing consistently and taking your writing seriously.
In order to set consistent times to write, you should determine the best times for you to write without interruption. For instance, are mornings good, before your family wakes up? Or, are evenings when everyone is tucked in bed good times? Whatever times you believe you could write consistently should be the time you decide to write.
Once you determine what time of the day is best for you to write, given your family situation and outside work schedule, write down your writing schedule for the next month. You could write this down in a daily or weekly planner, or simply in a spiral notebook. Just block off one or two hour segments on your planner in your favorite colour highlighter. Then decide what project you will work on each day, and what you plan to accomplish, and write that information down in your planner or notebook. Do this planning on a Sunday or weekend before the beginning of a new month. Before you can do this effectively, however, you must determine what your three writing goals are. I will talk about that next.
4. Determine Your Three Main Writing Goals
If you want to succeed as a writer, you need to set precise goals. Without goals you will lack focus and direction in your writing. You will be distracted and there will be no rhyme or reason to what you are setting out to accomplish every day. Goal setting allows you to take control of the direction of your writing. It also gives you a benchmark for determining whether or not you’re succeeding at accomplishing your writing tasks.
To accomplish your writing goals, you need to know how to set them over the long-term, short-term and weekly. You can’t simply wish that you accomplish a particular writing goal without actually planning to do it and then doing it. Goal setting is a process that starts with careful consideration of what you want to achieve, and ends with a lot of hard work to actually accomplish your goal. In between these two levels of goal setting there are some well-defined steps that transcend the specifics of each goal. Knowing these steps will allow you to successfully accomplish your writing goals.
Here are five golden rules of goal setting.
Set motivating writing goals
When you’re determining your long-term writing goals, choose ones that excite you. If you don’t, you probably won’t be motivated to accomplish your writing goals. Also, pay attention to how you feel about your goals. If you feel unsure about your writing goals, you’ll probably not achieve them.
Set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound writing goals.
When you set your writing goals make sure that they are specific, clear, and well-defined. Second, make sure your writing goals have precise dates of completion so you could measure your degree of success at any particular time. Third, ensure your writing goals are not out of line with your timelines and talents. Nothing will tear down self-confidence faster than setting writing goals you know you can’t achieve. Lastly, make sure your writing goals will move you in the right direction to achieve your long-term and short-term writing goals.
Write your goals down.
The act of writing down your goal makes it much more real and tangible. Psychologists say that once you write a goal down, you take the goal much more seriously than if you didn’t write it down and simply thought about it. By writing your goals down, you won’t forget them either and you’ll have them before you all the time.
Create an Action Plan for each week.
Up until now, you may have avoided creating an Action Plan because you thought it’s a waste of time. I hope to show you that you need an action plan to be successful. It is essential that you not be so focused on the outcome of your goals that you forget to plan the necessary steps to take each week to complete your short-term and long-term writing goals. Also, by writing down each of these steps, and crossing them off as they’re accomplished, you’ll feel inspired to continue on.
Stick to your plan once you write it down!
In order to achieve your writing plan, you may have to build in reminders to keep you on track. Review your writing goals often to remind yourself to stick to them. Stick to your action plan and to your writing goals in order to be a successful writer. Unless you stick to your plan, you won’t be successful.
Goal setting consists of more than just telling yourself you should accomplish a goal such as writing a book or article. You actually have to plan to achieve your goals. Unless you write down your goals and are determined to succeed, you probably won’t accomplish most of your writing tasks, frustrating yourself even more as a writer. So, envision your long-term goals, plan your short-term goals and write down your fluctuating weekly goals in your Action Plan to be a successful writer.
5. Continue to write regardless.
You may experience writer’s block on one project. But you should remember that you’re still a writer. So, if you’re stuck on one project, you may want to switch projects and do some writing on a new project or work on a redraft of another manuscript that you left idle for a while. Sometimes, changing focus can really make a difference in your writing productivity and output. It can also be a morale booster.
Whatever you do, don’t stop writing. Even if you have to write in your writer’s journal for a day or plan your next day’s writing, just write something every day. This continuity in itself will help you tremendously to avoid serious writer’s block.
6. Take a time out and come back fresh.
If you try to work on other projects, other than the one that is causing writer’s block, and still nothing seems to be going right for you, maybe it’s time to take a short break away from writing. You can do this by taking a few hours off and doing something completely different. This will refresh your spirits, and you may come back totally renewed.
In more serious cases, it may be necessary to take a mini-vacation from writing. This doesn’t mean that you should quit. All you want to do is to take a break. The best thing to do in this situation is to go to the cottage or somewhere where you can totally relax. Don’t fill your vacation days with activity though. Instead, do some real relaxation. To help yourself to recover from burn out, you need complete rest for a while. When you come back to your writing after your repose, you’ll definitely feel refreshed and be able start writing again.
By following these tips you will finally not be an all-or-nothing writer. You will be able to take control of a burp in your overall productivity and focus. Sometimes, a rest away from writing can give you the much needed perspective to face your writing with much more equanimity and peace.
Please visit my website at Irene Roth's Fearless Writer's Blog for more writing tips.
Here are a few questions for you to reflect on about everything we covered this week. Take ample time to think of your responses. Try not to simply sit down and answer these questions in one sitting. Please submit these for assessment and evaluation by Sunday of this week. I will be sure to respond by Monday of the next week.
ASSIGNMENT #1- WEEK 1
1. Do you suffer from writer’s block? When? How long does it last?
2. What do you see as being some of the main reasons why you experience writer’s block?
3. Are you an all-or-nothing writer? Explain why?
4. Do you know your three main writing goals for the year?
5. List your three main writing goals.
6. Submit a monthly and quarterly plan of action to complete one or your three goals.
7. Which of the five golden rules of goal setting do you struggle with? When? How often?
8. Do you define yourself as a writer?
9. Do you tell your family what your writing schedule is and then stick to it?
10. Do you have difficulty focusing your writing time around three main goals?
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