Writer’s block is never fun. The worst part about it is that it usually causes us to procrastinate. That doesn’t help move our story ideas forward. Using the excuse “I’m just too busy” doesn’t cut it anymore either. Let’s face it. Many of us have felt burned out with the craft from time to time. When that happens, writing isn’t as fun and exciting as it used to be. Let me rephrase that. Writing isn’t as fun and exciting as it should be. It’s a lucky thing for us writers that feeling that way doesn’t have to be permanent. There are a few tricks that we can use to make writing fun again. The first thing we have to do is put away everything that we’ve been working on that made us feel this way in the first place.
One trick is to put some of our writing into pictures. It doesn’t matter if you can draw or paint, or even if you are not a professional photographer. Have fun with it. After all, we are visual creatures, are we not? Maybe the story you were stuck on takes place in an old house in the middle of nowhere. Well, we are in Appalachia. There are plenty of old houses in the middle of nowhere around here. Take an afternoon to drive down some seldom traveled roads and take photos of the landscape, of old houses, and even a selfie or two. It might remind you of the passion you had for that story when you started writing it.
If your current topics have become stale, maybe it’s because you just don’t enjoy the topics so much anymore. That’s okay. We all change and grow. Maybe it’s time to move past that unfinished project. Write something personal instead. Do you have a passion and love for animals? Write about that. Write about how you spent your last vacation. You can also try random writing prompts to spark your spirit. Maybe start with a prompt about why you feel burned out and bored with writing. If you discover through your writing what the root cause is then you can tackle the problem with a lot more clarity.
When all else fails, go back to the first thing you ever wrote. Remember how good that felt. What inspired you to put pen to paper? The love of writing is in there, sometimes we just have to work through those slumps to find it again. Even if it means taking a couple of weeks off. It’s like riding a bike. When you haven’t done it in a while you may be rusty, but you never forget that feeling.
One trick is to put some of our writing into pictures. It doesn’t matter if you can draw or paint, or even if you are not a professional photographer. Have fun with it. After all, we are visual creatures, are we not? Maybe the story you were stuck on takes place in an old house in the middle of nowhere. Well, we are in Appalachia. There are plenty of old houses in the middle of nowhere around here. Take an afternoon to drive down some seldom traveled roads and take photos of the landscape, of old houses, and even a selfie or two. It might remind you of the passion you had for that story when you started writing it.
If your current topics have become stale, maybe it’s because you just don’t enjoy the topics so much anymore. That’s okay. We all change and grow. Maybe it’s time to move past that unfinished project. Write something personal instead. Do you have a passion and love for animals? Write about that. Write about how you spent your last vacation. You can also try random writing prompts to spark your spirit. Maybe start with a prompt about why you feel burned out and bored with writing. If you discover through your writing what the root cause is then you can tackle the problem with a lot more clarity.
When all else fails, go back to the first thing you ever wrote. Remember how good that felt. What inspired you to put pen to paper? The love of writing is in there, sometimes we just have to work through those slumps to find it again. Even if it means taking a couple of weeks off. It’s like riding a bike. When you haven’t done it in a while you may be rusty, but you never forget that feeling.
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