5 Tips to Break Writer’s Block
Guest Post by Author
BROOKE E. WAYNE
We’ve all hit that brick wall in our writing that has us spinning our wheels wondering where to begin or how to pick up where we’ve left off when it comes to writing.
Writer’s block is inevitable in every writer’s life eventually, but it doesn’t have to slow you down or stop you from cranking out the next best seller if you’re ready and willing to try a few conventional and unconventional techniques to jump start the words again.
They’re tried and true for minor bumps in the road to completing a manuscript!
Tip # 1: READ
Read in the genre you are writing. (This is an anti writer’s block tip not a declaration to only read in your genre. You’re trying to jump start a stutter in your current writing project, not grow your writing style, in which I would totally cheer you on to read all the genres.)
Reading what you write will get your head back in the game by:
- Refreshing your memory of what your genre’s expectations are concerning plot points
- This article, Writing Romance–Three Acts, Twelve Beats, will give you a beats framework to begin plotting your manuscript!
- Remind you of the tone a character’s voice should sound like in your genre
- Get you out of your own story in your head long enough to give your brain a deep breath to jump back in refreshed
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Tip # 2: MOVE
Get up, get out, and get writing.
What I mean by moving is:
- Changing your physical location from the place you always write
- If you sit at a desk, wheel your bootie to another room and invest in a TV tray (since lugging a desk might not be as much fun). Try a room with a view, too, or better yet, go outside to write
- If you hang out in a coffee shop, go saturate yourself by osmosis in a library
- If you kick back in a recliner (like me), go stand at the kitchen counter (*This one works like a charm for me when I’m doing a quick edit on something and need all the good words to come to me in order to tighten and turn up the Technicolor on my style)
Tip # 3: SPEAK
Tell your story to yourself.
- Speak into an app on your phone, play it back as many times as you need to in order to pick up where you left off
- Tell the story to yourself then go back and transcribe it
- Use this strategy to edit your whole novel when you’re done. I did with one book. Best revision round ever
Do you have a story in your head?
Prompt Me Novel can help.
- Brainstorming and Outlining
- Plotting and the “Tent Pole” Method
- Character Worksheets
- Conflict and Setting
- Space for Easy Journaling
- Reference and More!
Tip # 4: WRITE
I know you’re thinking, uh, that’s the point, I’m not writing, so how can I wr…
- Research something you need for your novel and take notes
- Hand-write a scene; it stimulates a different part of your brain than typing does and might spawn some creativity
- Add some drawings (even if you’re a stick figure kind of artist) like mapping out a blueprint of a room you were having trouble describing, then start labeling, then add some phrases, and in no time, you’ll be crafting scenes
- Write something different in the meantime. Writing is writing. Who knows what kind of glorious thing will be born out of changing from the same ol’ same ol’. See: Come Write with Me: POETRY Workbook & Journal (For Teens & Adults) Vol. 1
Tip # 5: LISTEN
Listen to music, but NOT your favorite emotionally charged songs that used to always help you get in the mood but are somehow letting you down now. You’ve probably already tried that, and it didn’t change much, which is why you’re Googling writer’s block tips right now. The following technique broke my writer’s block once and for all!
- Go to YouTube and type in SOLFEGGIO MUSIC FOR CREATIVITY
- You’ll find a plethora of some pleasant-sounding and maybe even some annoying musical configurations that will straight-up mess with your brainwaves and rewire you to create words
Whether you’re into mind, body, and soul or not, all things have a vibration. It’s a scientific fact. Our brains are programmed to respond to the vibrations (sounds—music) of all things. When you listen to certain frequencies, your brain does a little organized dance. We’re not talking emotional resonance; however, your emotions can certainly be upended by some tones. We’re talking about getting your left brain and your right brain to play ping pong with the help of some headphones and a few songs that you can listen to before or during the writing process
I highly recommend binaural beats and isotones in the music you choose, which I find ignites maximum creativity for me. If you’ve never listened to any solfeggio music before be warned, you might feel like you’re floating, but you might also feel like you’re on a boat floating on a turbulent sea. Ease into it, if you need to. This music literally affects your brainwaves)
Some of my favorite Solfeggio musical pieces that helped me with my writer’s block are:
The Brainwave Hub
Focus & Creativity—Creative Thinking, Visualization, and Problem Solving
- 4 hours of brainwave fodder
- Sweet when I listen to this one on a barely audible volume the entire time I write
Power Thoughts Meditation Club
Theta Waves—Positive Creative Energy Music
- 3 hours of brainwave fodder
- Sensational when I listen while gathering notes or reviewing what I’ve written and want to ignite new insights
- I like a quiet environment when I write, but this has never bothered me cranked up
These tips are just a handful of ways I find useful in jumpstarting my sluggish brain. I hope these tips I’ve shared are useful to you, and I wish you all the best on your journey as a writer.
~Brooke E. Wayne
About Brooke E. Wayne
BROOKE E. WAYNE writes novels for lovers of laughter and romance, giving them an escape from life’s hullabaloo. She also produces poetry workbooks to help creative writers sharpen their craft.
Brooke is married to South Philly-born, Eagles-obsessed YouTuber Philly.500, who she met online and fell in love with long before that kind of meet cute was cool. They have two young daughters who flood their happily-ever-after lives with girly giggles and immeasurable love.
Brooke holds a BA in English with a minor in Theology, a MA in Humanities with an emphasis in Literature, two Clear CLAD credentials, and an unofficial PhD in the Art of Snark.
Never without a journal on hand, Brooke has been writing stories and poetry since she was eleven years old. She’s had everything from poetry to articles for an encyclopedia set published over the last thirty years. Her romance novels and workbooks are available on Amazon.
When Brooke is not crafting sensual, contemporary romances with lighthearted, witty twists, she teaches English Language Arts, inspiring others to read classic literature and write from the heart.
Find and Follow Brooke E. Wayne
http://www.linktr.ee/brookeewayne
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