Writing Tips for the Beginning Writer: Beating Writers Block

I occasionally get questions from new writers who read the Blogs. Their questions tend to focus on the uncertainties that beginning writers have about getting started. So, in response to these questions, I have decided to put down some of my thoughts. I hope they help.

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Every writer, from the newest newbie to the most experienced writer, has gone through a period when the ideas just do not flow. You stare at the screen, and the emptiness mocks you. The sad thing is that the more you stare at the blank screen, the worse the block becomes. You can not will your way out of the mental block that has stopped all writing.

You have to take an active approach. In other words, you have to find a way to work your way out of it.

I’ve found the best way is to beat Writers Block is start out with low level writing exercises. That gets your mind moving. As your mind is grinding out thoughts, you can then work up to more challenging exercises. Soon, as your mind gets back to thinking mode, begin doing exercises that focus on the theme of your current story.

How long does this effort take? That’s up to you, how bad is the block and how good are you at focusing on the task.

Here is a sample of what I do when I get blocked. Let’s say I am working on a scene where a man is lost in the desert when The Block hits me. It’s important to note that there is a difference between having a little down time, as you refocus on the task at hand, and full blown Writers Block. When you finish a segment and move on to a new, sometimes completely different section, it takes a bit of time to put yourself into that scene. That is not writer’s block.

If I complete a scene where the character has a flashback to his youth and then he is brought back the present and is in a scene where he is lost and being chased in the desert, it may take a few moments to refocus my thinking. That is not writer’s block. All that needs is time to mentally put myself into the hot, dry desert.

Writer’s block is when I cannot imagine being in the desert. I have no idea how to begin. Now, that is Writer’s Block.

When that happens, I begin with something as simple as free-writing. I just start writing, maybe even one long sentence. The goal is to get my fingers moving. Then, maybe write a paragraph about how clear the air is in the desert. I can hear the high-pitched cry of a distant hawk. Everything I write is about the desert. Then, with my mind and fingers going, I may write a paragraph about the desert. Maybe make the focus of the paragraph, how the air makes the character feel good, no smog to make him cough. Or if it is at night, maybe he sees the Milky Way for the first time in his life. Then, how does that sight make him feel?

With that momentum going, it’s a short step to put myself into the mind of the character, in the desert. Then, am I lost? Why am I being chased? Where the hell is the road. Oh, my God, they’re near me. Where can I hide until they pass?

Very soon, I am there in the desert, being chased, living the scene along with the character. Writer’s Block has been broken.