Push Through That Writers Block

Published on Mar 28, 2012
I have stared at my computer for what feels like days trying to find inspiration. There are several books in a combination of Scrivener files waiting to be finished, but each is missing that crucial piece of inspiration or a close that will tie up several loose ends. What types of blocks do you have on your writing? Inspiration issues. Not enough time in the day. A writing medium problem. Too many writing mediums. Unsure how others will interact with your piece once it's finished. There are a whole slue of reasons that I've heard over the years about issues writers have with trying to finish something. I have written enough short stories in my short life that prove I have the ability to mold creative pieces and be able to finish a new one, but it's that one issue, an excuse that keeps me from finishing all these books. For the meantime, I have downgraded my writing to weekly blog posts on my personal site, trying to and hoping for a bit of inspiration to strike like lightning so that they can be finished. Though through the thick and thin of writing, I do have some useful tips to jump start your writing and get you over those hurdles of a writing block faster. ## Break the Blocks I heard the phrase once "that you can beat a rock as much as you want, but you'll never get any blood from it." While this is true, I had for so long thought that only inspiration could lead to being able to write a good piece. However, what it really takes is dedication to the craft. While I may say that I'm waiting for inspiration, I am more brooding on possibilities to see what direction my stories will take. For some writers, though there is literally a block in their writing, to which I have found a few useful tips to overcome. The first thing that you can try is to read the piece you are working on over again. There are moments when you can find that missing link to fill the gap and get the ending or scene that you've been struggling with. If that doesn't work, then I would suggest you try reading a book, newspaper article, or blog post from your favorite site. This method tends to take your mind off of what you are writing and allows a little rest, which can jump-start your mind to start marinating on a new direction for a story to go. One last tip I would like to leave you with is this: write daily for about 10-15 minutes. Small, short periods of writing breaks up the monotony of the day and will help your writing to be more fluid when you have to sit down and write a longer piece, perhaps even a book. Who knows, you might even find your next book wrapped in a ten minute block of writing that you did on a Saturday morning months before. The possibilities are endless. Be inspiring, and be inspired. Both are synonymous and do not have to be exclusive.
Justin Hough author picture
Justin Hough

Chief Development Officer at Hounder. He is a Christian, husband, father, writer, developer, designer, and a digital carpenter crafting amazing web experience. Also, created the Centurion Framework many moons ago.