Have you been trying to write but the words just won’t come out? You’ve been staring at your PC but it’s been a blank page for two hours and you just can’t come up with the words. Don’t worry too much, every writer gets stuck once in a while. As much as this is normal, it’s important to fight it and not let it linger.

I have been through this a couple of times and I’m sharing five easy ways I have overcome writer’s block with you today.

Write Anything That Comes To You

Stop trying so hard to be perfect, write freely instead. This year, I decided to try something new with writing and it has worked ever since. I stopped trying to make my work perfect, I simply write everything down as it comes to me. The trick is it may not make sense to you in beginning but over time, it will.

Stop Trying To Write

Sometimes, all you need to do is to stop trying totally. Go out for a walk, go to the cafe, watch a movie, read a book, visit friends, do something else entirely different that has nothing to do with trying to write. Give yourself a little break and let the words come naturally to you. While at it, have your notepad close by because as a writer, you know that inspiration comes from anywhere.

“Rest if you want, but never quit.” – John Greenleaf Whittier

Use Writing Prompts

I tried writing with prompts for the first time ever in February. When I saw 28 prompts for 28 days, I thought I couldn’t do it but I did. A writing prompt is a brief passage of text (or sometimes an image) that provides a potential topic idea or starting point for an original essay, report, journal entry, story, poem, or other forms of writing. When you are lost on what to write about, writing prompts can guide you and make your writing juices flow. All you have to do is check for writing prompts on writing groups or pages you follow or simply google them.

February Writing Challenge: I Wrote 28 Poems In 28 Days

Listen To Music

Whether it’s music with words or the ones without words, music tends to help me and I’m sure it can help you too. With music with words, be careful not to copy the lyrics of a song and use as your own. Simply let the lyrics lead you somewhere your own words will flow from. Instrumental music has a way of setting the tone and eliminates all distractions. It also makes me think and create scenarios in my head that I transform into words on paper.

Sleep On It

It may just be that you need a little snooze to get the words flowing. So try to relax, take a nap or go to bed and try again tomorrow because everything is more difficult when you are tired. When you’ve had a good night’s rest, you take writing on with a fresh and alert mind. Don’t forget to keep a notebook by your bed because your dreams can be full of ideas.

Thanks for reading.

How do you overcome writer’s block? I’d love to read your solutions in the comments.

Mariam Shittu