Writer's Block

... is the worst. Honestly, I just got out of the worst case of writer's block and I'm so relieved that it's over! I had no motivation or inspiration to write and it was really getting me down! Writing things down and putting together content is a massive coping mechanism for me so I find it super hard when writer's block hits and I cannot bring myself to write anything! It sucks! These are a few things that I did to banish my latest spell of writer's block and I hope that you find them useful!

Gather inspiration

I did this in two ways! One thing I did was read lots of blogs, scroll through lots of Instagram feeds and watch lots of YouTube videos and films. I did anything I could from the comfort of my own home to gather some inspiration which would get the post ideas flowing again! This helped to an extent but it would also sometimes frustrate me because I just wasn't getting anywhere and I was just feeling guilty about my inability to generate any more ideas. What made the tables really turn was going out and seeking inspiration from other sources. Libraries, bookstores and museums. The tables really turned when I was in an art gallery gift shop. I kept seeing book titles and piece names and they kept setting ideas off in my head. I yanked my notebook out of my backpack and immediately started writing the ideas down and that's when I started posting again!

Read

I have already kind of mentioned this already but I'm going to reiterate it because it works wonders! Reading can really help with writing! It doesn't just have to be blogs too. You can read books, essays, magazines, your own journal, your own blog, anything you can really. Picking out themes from books and journals really helped me to formulate post ideas, which leads me to my next source of inspiration to tackle writer's block...

Write down your stream of thoughts

What I like to do when I don't know what to write is to jot down everything that comes into my head. This could make total sense or none at all. Then, after a while, I come back to my notebook to see if I can come up with any post ideas from what is written down. Sometimes I will have written about an experience which I can relay in a post, sometimes feelings which I can make sense by writing them down, or even wishlists or product reviews!

Mind maps

Another thing that I like to do is to write down a possible post title and to make a mind map around the title with things I would talk about relating to the title. Before long, I end up with a full post plan! I have an entire notebook dedicated to these mindmaps and I like to decorate them absently while I'm thinking of what to add. I then check off all the mindmap elements while I am writing my posts to make sure I miss nothing out. It's a super effective way of giving myself a full vision of what I am going to write, so it makes the actual writing process so much easier!

Take a break

Sometimes, the best thing to do is to not write at all and let the ideas come instead. I took a week and a half off writing for the blog in my last writer's block spell. I felt guilty about not posting but I ended up feeling refreshed and ready to write when I came back to it. It felt a lot less tedious than it would have felt if I was trying to write whilst still grappling with writer's block! It's okay to take a break every once in a while!

Ask what people want to see

When in doubt, ask your readers and friends what they want to see or whether they have any good post ideas for you! Sometimes, they will suggest something amazing and it will rekindle your excitement for finding a good post idea! Once you get that one post done, the ideas will keep coming and writing will be a breeze again! Sometimes, your friends know you better than you know yourself and they will know what your writing strengths are and what would be a perfect piece for you to write!

Draw from experiences

As mentioned before, sometimes reading your own journal can kick you back into writing mode. This totally depends on how much you are willing to share or how much you write from your own experiences, but sometimes just sitting down and writing about an experience or about what is going on in your life at the moment can be a great way to get back into writing! Just share what you feel like sharing, or even just write these posts privately for yourself to look back on! Who knows, it may help you to break through that pesky writer's block!

I hope that you found this post helpful! What are your tips for conquering writer's block? x

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