Wattpad 101: Your guide to the world of Wattpad

How to Get Over Writer's Block

Everyone experiences writer's block. At some point, your brain just shuts down and you can't come up with anything else to write. If you have writer's block, or are simply creatively dead inside, here are a couple of ways to breathe life into it.  

1) Do something else:

Doing something else can go two different ways. The first is to do something else that requires your thought. Separate your brain from your writing. Forget about your work and gain some distance from it while you follow a different hobby. This will help your brain reset and get out of whatever loop you happen to be in. Distancing yourself from your work can help you return to it with a fresh perspective. I also recommend doing this between drafts of your work. Don't jump from one draft to the next, give it a few days so you have a fresh mind when you start editing.

The second idea of "doing something else" is to leave your writing but continue to dwell on it. Go on a walk, exorcise, listen to music... but also think about your work. The change of scenery, the physical motion, and the time to honestly just dwell on things free of the pressure to write can  loosen new ideas. Some of my best brain storming comes when I go for a walk.

2) Write Something Else:

There is nothing wrong with having multiple writing projects (within reason), so if you're creatively dead in one, hit up the other. Jimmy back and forth between projects to keep things from becoming stale.

Worried about starting too many projects you can't finish? There are two ways around this. The first is to not care or worry about your second project. Use it as a way to creatively express yourself without ever revealing it to another soul. Delete it immediately after your done if you'd prefer. It can be anything, a style you never write in, a genre you never write in. Write as much as you want. Just recognize that this is your "fun" writing and not meant to be your work.

The second idea is to do smaller projects. Write a short five page story. Try some little project, something you know you can finish in a single night. Then finish it. The gratification of actually finishing something is great. Plus you can edit and refine it to your hearts content until its perfect. Put THAT on wattpad. People on wattpad love short stories.

3) Write a different part of your story:

If you can't figure out what your characters should be doing next, then skip the scene. Assume they did whatever they were going to do next and then start writing after that. Write the ending to your book. Noone ever said a book has to be written in order. In fact, most authors do not write books in order. If you don't have an outline for your entire book, write one. Save the funnest scenes that you really want to write for the days when your just not feeling like it, hopefully the fun will motivate you.

4) Change/Sabatoge/Destroy Your story:

Your story is chugging along, suddenly aliens invade the planet. A T Rex drops on top of your characters. A serial killer shows up and start systematically murdering them. Pull a From Dusk Till Dawn scenario. Just change things. Make the scene surreal, ridiculous, stupid. Make it fun.

You don't have to save what you do. After you're done, all you have to do is hit the delete key. However, doing this does a few things. It helps you develop your characters personalities by having them react to situations that you normal wouldn't imagine them reacting to. It stimulates creativity in the brain. It also helps you associate the act of writing with "fun" and so even when you're writing the "boring" parts, you can still enjoy yourself.

5) Sleep on it:

Your brain is able to process thoughts while you sleep. So if you are really struggling with a particular idea, sleep on it. You may find that in the morning that your brain has gone through the questions and your body is more focused than it was the night before. This honestly fits up with the "do  something else" category, but I decided to add it because most people don't think about sleeping as "doing something". 

6) Do It Yourself

Discuss your story with friends, bounce ideas off them, and let them help you stimulate your creativity. This is a great way to help you develop as an author as well as a person. You need to be able to talk to people, to explain your ideas, and to get input and criticism. However, ultimately you need to do it yourself.

The forums are littered with "Make a title for me" or "Write my blurb" or even "Write my chapter"... and that's not really what writing is about. I know you have ideas, and you would love to see your ideas made flesh, and at least for some of you, the effort of becoming a decent writer is greater than the capacity to make your idea flesh. I get that some people want to just see their idea made... but don't really want to make it themselves. I get that.

However, I have nothing to really say to it. Sorry? Life doesn't work that way? You can't just sit on your arse and do nothing and expect life to just be handed to you? So that being said, whatever you do, and no matter how hectic your block is, in the end, do your work yourself. This is YOUR work, YOU should be doing it.

And good luck with your writer's block, believe me when I say you're not the only one. Everyone goes through this, even the professionals.