Good afterevenmorn, Readers!

Well, I was struggling with what to write about in this week’s blog post. I was going to rave about a new C-Drama I just finished watching, but I figure you’re probably tired of that (though, if you don’t mind subtitles, please check out Arsenal Military Academy. It was extremely good; and unusual for me as a viewer because it involves a region of the world (China) at a time we rarely get to learn about unless you’re embarking on higher education about that particular subject (1930s). Highly recommend). That being the case, I’m going to share a few things I do whenever I feel like I’m struggling with writer’s block (which is rarely a block, and really more of a tell from my subconscious that I’m not on the right track). So here we go, my list of five things to do when experiencing writer’s block.

A note, as we know, writing advice is bunk. These are just things that I’ve done that has helped me immensely when I find I’m struggling to write.

1. Step Away and (This is Important) Do Nothing

If you’re like me, then you have time set aside specifically for writing. Ideally this is a block of time in which writing, and nothing else, is scheduled. Chores and other activities have no place in this particular block of time. Ideally. Now here’s the key: if you’re suffering with writer’s block, and even burnout, you’re going to put away your pen/keyboard, flop dramatically on the couch/chair/daybed, declare to the world that you are doing very important work and are not to be disturbed, and the do absolutely nothing at all.

If your creativity well is drained, there’s no use trying to draw water, so to speak. So use this time to stare blankly out the window and permit the aquifer to refill for a little bit. Let your mind wander. Let it go where it likes, however it likes. There are no rules, only that you must do nothing – no chores, no internet (I mean it! Put that phone down this instant! Or maybe after you’ve read this), nothing – and let your mind go where it will. That’s it.

With our chronically stressed, hustle culture, we’ve demonized down time, making us feel fiercely guilty if we spend any time at all doing nothing. We don’t let ourselves simply sit and refill our wells. Well, that stops now.

Do nothing.

It’s harder than it looks.

2. Do Something Physical

This might seem like the absolute opposite of what a writer ought to do. But I promise you, it really does help to get your mind in order. It doesn’t have to be vigorous exercise, in case your eyebrows shot up past your hairline. I’m not talking about training for an Iron Man competition, or for a bodybuilding competition. I mean, unless you want to.

But something as simple as talking a half hour walk after dinner can do wonders for clearing away the cobwebs that are making creation difficult.

I train martial arts, and while I cannot recommend that enough, I know it’s not for everyone. The important thing is, you’re up and moving a little each day. Note: This is not to be done during your scheduled nothing time. That’s for doing nothing. Go lie back down.

3. Work on Something Else Creative

You might find that turning your creativity towards a different project will help. Instead of writing the problematic project, do something else creative. I don’t mean write a different story (but it could be). Why not take up a pencil and do some sketches? Or maybe knit a pair of socks? It really doesn’t matter.

The point here is not to be productive, or even good. It’s to exercise creativity in a different way. Sometimes it helps to unlock the door, or shifts something enough that the thing that was preventing you from writing is now out of the way. This is another way to refill that creativity aquifer for those of us who struggle really hard with the doing nothing thing.

I still recommend doing nothing, but if that’s a struggle (and it absolutely is), then this is a good work-around.

4. Actively Seek Inspiration

This is one of my favorites. Take yourself out to a museum, people watch in a park, read a book, watch a film… take the time to see, to ingest and metabolize other people’s creativity, soak in history; devour the vast plethora of stories that happened, stories that didn’t, and stories that might yet happen. Let yourself get lost in the beautiful, terrible and confounding things other people have created, thought, or exposed.

In fact, you should probably do this whether or not you are suffering from any kind of creative block, to be honest. Take yourself out (with or without others, it’s not important) on a date and absorb all you can.

5. Engage in Stream of Conscious Writing

This one is one I employ when I am facing down a deadline and I really need to get moving. In these cases, I try to pick a topic related to what I’m trying to write, even if only tangentially, and just start writing. It doesn’t matter what I write. It can be utter nonsense. In fact, I highly recommend nonsense.

The first few paragraphs, I find, are absolute rubbish. They don’t make sense, they’re usually terrible, and they may or may not be on topic at all. Sometimes the whole session produces nothing but this odd nonsense. That’s more than alright.

The purpose of the exercise isn’t to really to write the story. It’s to unlock the thing stopping the writing at all. Sometimes, the hardest part is the starting. Once I’m started, it just… happens. So just write. Write whatever dumb thought comes to your mind. Write the thoughts you’ve not wholly worked through yet. Write the ones you thought through and discarded.

I have found that creativity is as much a muscle as anything else. If we don’t use it, it will atrophy. Like lifting weights, the more frequently we use creativity, the stronger and easier it will be to get the story moving.

As an added bonus, I have found absolute gems in the nonsense that I’ve been able to insert into my works with a good old copy and paste. It has been an absolute gem of a thing to help me get on track.

How’s this list for you? What things have you tried and found worked wonders? Let us know! Perhaps it’ll help others.

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When S.M. Carrière isn’t brutally killing your favorite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, and cuddling her cat. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, and a cuddling furry murderer. Her most recent titles include Daughters of Britain, Skylark and Human. Her serial The New Haven Incident is free and goes up every Friday on her blog.