Getting over writer's block: The best methods for every author

Overcoming writer’s block can seem like an uphill struggle to anyone who has ever felt a certain lack of creativity when staring at a blank screen or sheet of paper, you may have already written several thousand words and even completed a hundred or more pages, but then, bang! Like a huge stone wall, the ideas stop and you struggle to take the narrative any further.

So, what happens now? You know that some of the greats in literature have been through the exact same issue, yet they still went on to widely acclaimed success and glittering careers within the publishing world, so deep down you know that it is something that can be overcome, right?

Relax, overcoming writer’s block can be achieved but getting stressed about any lack of creativity will add to your ‘lack of creativity’, so the first thing to remember is not to beat yourself up about it, when ever you face a block keep in mind that it is only temporary, your inner dialogue should not be one of ‘I can’t/don’t know how to go any further, what if the ideas aren’t any good, this isn’t good enough, no one will ever buy or read it………’and so on.

Fear is a major reason why books don’t get finished, it feeds self-doubt and helps to lengthen any blocks of creativity, however, adjusting your attitude to one of confidence is easier said than done, but there are things you can do to push forward. The majority of successful best-selling authors all had to fight through rejection and overcome their own self-doubt, but they all kept going,

So, here are our 11 tips on overcoming your doubt and beating writer’s block

1. Remember, any first draft of a book is simply just a draft, you can and should go back to it to edit and rewrite where needed, remembering this helps to take some of the pressure off
2. Give yourself time, don’t try to write your novel in one weekend, if you can realistically only spare two hours a week then so be it, just make those two hours count.
3. Get out and get some fresh air, a walk in the park does wonders for creativity.
4. Make sure you have no distractions whilst writing, turn off your phone,
5. social media and email.
6. Write somewhere new, grab your laptop and go to your local café.
7. Have a routine, plan when you can write and stick to your schedule.
8. Meditate, so many successful people do this and it works wonders for their creativity, meditation helps you to get rid of the self-doubt and connect you back with your creativity, you can find loads of videos on line on how to meditate and if you’ve never tried it before give it a go (you may be surprised).
9. Read some classic literature to give you inspiration.
10. Listen to music and mix it up a little, try genres and styles you maybe wouldn’t normally listen to.​
11. Get enough sleep, ensuring your mind is refreshed and rested helps you to formulate ideas and work at your very best.

Free write, just start writing something else, it really doesn’t matter what, but just the act of writing alone will get your creativity flowing again.

Keep going, don’t stop and tell yourself you’ll take a break for a few weeks or months, your book will never be written by adopting this approach, those who keep going are the ones who succeed.