5 Tips for Beating Writer’s Block - Proofeds Writing Tips

5 Tips for Beating Writer’s Block - Proofeds Writing Tips 5 Tips for Beating Writer’s Block Whether you’re working on a novel or a college paper, when you’re suffering from writer’s block, the sight of a blinking cursor on an otherwise empty page can seem like it is taunting you. Blink blink blink But don’t let that blinky little dastard win. With these simple tips, you should be able to beat writer’s block and get back to work in no time! 1. Develop a Working Routine Ultimately, the battle against writer’s block is a battle against†¦ yourself! So the key to victory is knowing your own working habits and developing a healthy routine. Work out when you’re most productive (first thing in the morning? late at night?) and where you find it easiest to write. Once you’ve done this, you can develop a working routine and stick to it. 2. Avoid Distraction If you’re struggling to write, it may just be because you’re prone to distraction. In this case, the obvious solution is to eliminate distractions from your working environment. If it’s specifically social media and the endless playground of the internet that makes it hard for you to focus, you might want to try installing software that temporarily blocks distracting sites. The enemies of productivity.(Image: Emily Boston/wikimedia) 3. Brainstorming and Freewriting Two handy techniques for beating writer’s block are brainstorming and freewriting. Brainstorming is good when you truly don’t know where to start. It simply involves picking a topic and listing related terms. You can even use a spider diagram. The key is finding connections that you can expand upon in your writing. A different kind of spider diagram.(Image: J. H. Comstock/Ryan Wilson) Freewriting, meanwhile, is an exercise in which you write without judgment. Give yourself fifteen minutes to write whatever comes into your head. Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, or even writing full sentences (you can fix that later). It’s about generating ideas. 4. Mix It Up Writing doesn’t have to be linear. If you’re half way through an essay and find that you can’t get beyond a certain point, you can always jump ahead or go back and revise something else. This means that you keep on working (rather than staring frustrated at the screen). It might even give you time to work out what you need to do for the section you got stuck on! 5. Time Out Finally, if you really can’t get anything written down, it might be time to take a break. Go for a walk. Do some household chores. Do something else creative. Do anything but write! You dont get this view sat at your computer.(Photo: Becky/flickr) Sometimes all you need is time away for everything to fall into place. Hopefully, when you come back to your work you’ll find that the writing flows again. Good luck!