Georganna at Writer’s Edge just posted some suggestions on how to overcome writers block. She got them from a film I have not seen yet, but it might be good to watch it.

View her post here:
www.writers-edge.info

It also got me thinking about something I use:
Do something else.

When I am stuck in one area of my work, I leave it be and do something else.

Now there is a negative side to this, sometimes the something else is not really productive (and then I feel bad and am even more blocked).

But when there are multiple projects where I can do some useful work, it is a great way to free any block.

And another realisation I had is that the time of day is absolutely essential. I am a morning person and I get far more done in the morning than any other time of day.

I know others who are night owls. I think it is best to follow the body and work whenever it is ready to function well.

Thanks for this stimulating post Georganna.

I had my doubts about writers’ inability to overcome writers block before I actually started writing for a living. I thought it was for weak people, and wouldn’t apply to me since I was a fountain of creative ideas.

Boy was I wrong! In this article I am going to talk about writer’s block, when and why it seems to hit me, and some ways in which I attempt to overcome it.

It’s an area that I have really been struggling with lately, so any suggestions from other people would definitely be helpful!

Use proper grammar!

Before I proceed to the “meat” of this article I would like to get something quite clear. I am aware that “overcome writers block” is grammatically incorrect and that there are two different spellings in the body of this article.

The reason is that apparently it is spelled without an apostrophe as an important keyword, which goes to show a couple things. The first is that there are a lot of writers out there in the aspiring category, and the second is that I am a prostitute when it comes to grammatical values.

On to writer’s block

My standards aside, the incorrect grammar is a pretty good thing to start out with when it comes to writer’s block and writing for the Internet, because more often than not it is certain keywords or phrases that get my brain locked up for days and lately even weeks.

Some of the keywords I am required to use just don’t fit together on their own, let alone in a sentence (overcome writers block is not too bad at all). My English teachers would be ripping their hair out if they knew this was how I was using the things they taught me.

Outside Distractions

Another thing that I have found to be a big cause of writer’s block for what I do is outside distractions.

In analyzing my current dilemma, I am fairly aware that part of the problem is a possible responsibility overload. The long period of writer’s block that I am facing now comes on the heels of several major changes in my life; as of September, I had a new baby boy (and he is a MAJOR engager and very distracting).

My daughter started school with the additional responsibilities and stresses that brings, and I started to work with the youth group at my church. All this in addition to my other son, my wife, playing guitar at church four of every six Sundays and other life happenings!

So how do I kick it?

Unfortunately this answer is not so clear. For the most part, I have had to force myself to sit and stare at the computer until I get something produced, but it tends to take a lot out of me.

With the approach of the New Year, I have decided to try and combine all the problems and cover them in one or several resolutions.

1. I have to renew my commitment to my clients, two of whom have been quite patient with me.
2. Next I have to figure out which areas of my life I need to tone down in order to make room for the money (and no, it won’t be the kids!).

Will these strategies help to overcome writers block for me in the New Year? Well only time will tell and I will try and get back to you with the results in a few months. In the meantime, any help is greatly appreciated!