Written by: Jules Dowling
Writer’s block. I typed it out–– your worst enemy, my worst enemy. There’s been a story living in my head for about 3 years now, and I’m worried it’s set up shop there and will never step foot on paper. However, I have decided that will end today; today, I am writing up the ultimate guide to cure (or at least slowly chip away at) writer’s block for both myself, and you.
- Free write. You may ask: Free writing is about letting your continuous thoughts flow on paper without stopping–– not about the story you want to write. So how will this help me? Well, free writing is exactly that. It is your stream of consciousness, word-vomit, or however else you want to describe it, on paper. Freeing your mind of any pent-up thoughts and content will help relieve your mind the next time you wish to write. A free mind means more space for your story to take shape.
- Write when you can. Whenever you think of a line, overhear the most ridiculous sentence, catch yourself singing a song over and over again–– write it down! These minute sayings you pick up during the day may not mean much at the time, and you may not even look at them again after you write them down. But it is better to have written them down and commit them to physical memory, than to forget them. One day, you might be begging yourself to write a story based on a line you heard, that this line will be the perfect foundation for a piece; and luckily for you, it will be written down in your journal, your phone, or even the palm of your hand.
- Headphone-less walks. Nowadays, it’s not very often you walk past someone on the street, and they don’t have some sort of headphones or earbuds on. You probably have some in as well. While I am 100% guilty of this (music makes the 20-minute trek to class go by a lot faster), it also prohibits me from hearing the world around me. Whether it’s the sound of the tree leaves rubbing against the wind, a car’s tires rolling against the pebbles as it comes to a stop, or a girl asking with bewilderment “She said what?” into her phone–– I want to know. I want to know what is going on in the world around me, because what is art, what is writing, without everyday happenings? Nothing comes from nothing; inspiration is born from the everyday. Take in what is happening around you–– it may bring a story, or better yet, add to one.
Writer’s block may make you feel hopeless or even fearful–– but it happens. To me, I take it as a sign that I care for what I write. If I can’t think of what to write, it must be that I have not found what is right. So, I’ll go for headphone-less walks, I’ll write down a random piece of dialogue in my planner, or I’ll write until there’s no more words to be said.