Writer's block is a horrible, nasty, terrible thing that plagues every writer at some point or another. It's awful. But here are some tips that I use to get through it without, you know, resorting to drastic measures.
1. Read.
Re-read one of your favorite books. Read an article. Read a magazine. Read a newspaper. Read some fanfiction. Read a new book. Just read something. Reading the written word will remind you that, hey, you can do that!
2. See a movie/watch TV.
Seeing a movie puts you in a dark theater free from distraction. You can lose yourself completely in the story, shut out everything else, and just focus on enjoying that movie. It's harder to shut out distractions when you watch TV--what with all those commercials--but watching TV on DVD can help. Pick a show and get into it. Focus on the story, the characters, the dialogue.
3. Listen to music/go to a concert.
Shut off everything else, put on music, and just listen. Really listen. Identify each instrument, each beat, each rhythm, each melody. Think about the singer's voice, or imagine the musician's fingers working the instrument. Think about the lyrics, what they mean, what they might mean, how the lyricist wrote, what she was thinking or feeling when she did.
4. Go for a walk.
Never underestimate the stimulating power of fresh air, sunshine, and unplugging. Take at least half an hour, more is better. Of course, if you live somewhere that is super ridiculously hot, change this to going to the pool, going to the gym, something. Do something physical and don't think about your writing.
5. Have a drink.
Obviously, this is only an option if you are legally allowed to drink or have your parents' or spouse's permission to legally be allowed to drink. Alcohol loosens your inhibitions and, in my experience, can loosen the gunk clogging up your brain and loosen your fingers. There's a good reason a number of famous writers are also alcoholics. I'm not saying this is a good thing. I'm just saying it makes sense.
6. Take a shower.
I do my best thinking in the shower. I'm not alone. I've seen and heard many other writers claim to have solved problems and broken through writer's block during a long, hot shower. There's something about the steam and the mundane, automatic act of scrubbing down that gives you time to think free from pressure.
7. Write meta.
If you can't bring yourself to work on your work-in-progress, try writing about it. Write about your protagonist. Tell how she got her name, a painful childhood memory, her first romantic experience. Write about his relationship with his father, his political ideals. Explore what you hope to show over the course of the story, how you hope to develop her character, and where you want her to be at the end compared to the beginning. No one has to see this; this is just for you.
8. Write anyway, edit later.
Some would argue that this is the number one tip. Writing anyway, forcing those creative muscles to work and those juices to flow, secure in the knowledge that you can come back to what you're writing and rewrite, revise, and edit, can be good for your block. Once the block is gone, you can fix what you've done.
9. Take a break.
There are times when a work-in-progress is like a fight and you just have to walk away. Walk away for a few minutes, a few hours, a few days. I don't suggest any longer than three days, because after that, if you're still blocked, you may not want to come back to it.
10. Talk to someone.
Ideally, you're already a member of some writer's forums, or you've made friends on Twitter, or you have some non-writer friends who don't mind listening to you and letting you bounce ideas off of them. If you don't do or have any of these, get some. Sometimes, talking about your block can help you get past it faster than anything else.
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