Beating Writers' Block

Every writer, no matter how seasoned, will at some point find themselves at the mercy of the dreaded 'writers' block'. Sometimes there's a good reason for it, such as a stressful life event, and sometimes it's unclear what the problem is (other than a total inability to write anything). But one thing's for sure, the longer you spend not writing (and getting stressed about it), the harder it'll be to start again. But (hold onto that towel!) there are several ways and means to kick start your writing and regain that missing mojo.

One way is to enroll on a writing course - even a short one, provided it's well run, can get you writing again. Another is to join a local writers' group - ask at your library to see if there's one in your area. And a third way is to use writing prompts, such as the ones found at sites like Writing Prompts 101.

Below are ten prompts from this site:

1. He hadn’t seen her since the day they left high school.
2. The city burned, lighting up the night sky.
3. They came back every year to lay flowers at the spot.
4. The streets were deserted. Where was everyone?
5. This time her boss had gone too far.
6. She woke, shivering, in the dark of the night.
7. The garden was overgrown now.
8. He’d never noticed a door there before.
9. His feet were already numb. He should have listened.
10. He’d always hated speaking in public.

There are other ways to get your writing re-started, such as walking in inspirational places, meeting interesting people and collecting weird news stories, to name but a few. The main thing is to keep trying different things until something clicks and the words start to flow again. The most important thing, I've found, is not to panic and to keep telling yourself you will write again.

So, when you hit that wall, keep going until you bash through it. I promise there's always a way through, if you want to find it badly enough.