Thoughtful Thursday-5 Ways To Embrace a Writer's Block

They can last for weeks or months. They can totally muck up your writing schedule. They can knock down your self-confidence and make you question your career choice. Plain and simple: writer's blocks suck.

But every writer gets them--they are an unavoidable aspect of the creative process. Instead of putting up a fight I've learned to embrace mine. Here's what they force you to do (with good outcome).

1) Take a break. This is not a bad thing. Personally, I tend to hyper-focus and can write for twelve hours at a time. What comes from that? Good writing...sometimes. Often, I'll end up with a big fat headache due to lack of food and pages of nonsense "to be deciphered" when I'm coherent.

2) Edit. If you can't add to what you have--you can always make what you have better. Once your complete draft is done you'll be editing a gazillion times over. Why not start now?

3) Apply yourself to something else. This can be personal or professional. My last writer's block spurned me to clean house. I needed to clean house, trust me. I also needed to catch up with my friends, bathe the dogs, mow the lawn...you get it.

4) Start from the beginning. The best way to get back into the flow of your story is to read it! Start from page one and read what you have. Let it settle for a couple of days. It's too easy to get caught up in a particular scene.

5) Daydream. Stop obsessing over what you're working on and make up another story. You may end up with a kick-butt idea for your next book. If you're like me and can only work on one project at a time--make up back-story for the book you're working on. You don't even have to write it down. At the very least, daydreaming is a good way to get your creative juices flowing again.

So, go on....surrender yourself to the Dark Side and embrace that writer's block.
Good luck.