5 Ways to Banish Writer’s Block

 

Writing scares me. Always has and hopefully it won't in the future after I'm done with these tips. I started at the Academy of Design for fashion marketing and merchandising thinking I wanted to do PR. Little did I know that PR is mainly composed of ALL writing, so back to the drawing board I went. I look at this blank screen and wonder how am I going to produce something of substance and value that people will want to read?

Here are my tips for banishing writer’s block and getting your writing to flow.

 

1. Coming up with an idea

That’s half the battle. What do you have to say that is of such importance? If you talk to your friends, what do you talk about? Usually, there’s no shortage of things to say. Right now, everyone’s talking about the various award shows and the best and worst dressed. I’m wondering what to do when I graduate in two months and deciding the rest of my life. What I find is that if you write one idea down and branch off from it (no matter how crazy it may seem) eventually something will come about. It may be completely ludicrous at first but the more I talk about it and explain it the more obsessed I become with it. Voila, step one accomplished.

 

2. Calm down

 

If you look at writing as this big, scary thing that you’re not good enough to do, you’ll freeze. My instructor says, if you can talk, you can write. If you can pick up the phone and talk to your friends then writing a blog post or an essay isn't that bad. I put on my music because it distracts me from the fear of writing and calms me down. I think better when I have it on. The writing flows and I don’t have time to sit there and freak out. Find your own calming mechanism.

 

 

3. Walk Away

 

If you're stuck and are surfing the web or staring at the blank screen praying words will manifest out of nothing then I suggest you walk away for a while. Come back to it another time when you're refreshed and rested. Nothing that you will produce under pressure will be of good quality. Go outside and get some fresh air or take a walk. It will clear your head and give you some new perspective on the given topic.

 

4. Just write

 

Stop worrying about how you sound. In my grade 12 writer’s craft class my teacher said I used too many adjectives when I should have just gone straight to the point. I think I’m trying to sound smart and it comes off as sounding stupid. Don’t try to put on a writer’s hat. Just be yourself. Advice my Academy instructor gave me: pretend you’re telling your story to a friend. Don't worry about grammatical errors or syntax either. Just get all the ideas out on the paper or screen so it's out of your head. Once you've completed the task you can start making it flow better.

5. Edit

 

As stated above in "Just Write" now it’s time for you to make it flow and sound appealing. Filter out any slang or junk words that may have slipped out. After all, this isn't a text or a tweet. I find that I repeat words a lot because I get stuck. After editing my work I usually find substitutes for adjectives or prepositions. If you don't think that you can edit it properly or want a second opinion I suggest sending it to a friend-one that will tell you the truth of course. Getting a second opinion and a new set of eyes is refreshing and can strengthen the written work as opposed to just having it gone through your own editing skills.

 

Still think you can’t write? Stop doubting yourself and just go with it.

 

-Kayla Ragone*