- Writer’s Block making you Crazy? Reclaim your Sanity and Start Writing again now!

People with a talent for writing are a courageous breed. Enthusiastic and self-motivated, they weave words together into fiction stories that take us to magical and mysterious places. Writers also produce a variety of non-fiction books, articles and classes that help us improve our daily lives. So what if you’re an author and your creative juices stop flowing?

How to give yourself a case of writer’s block

Set a deadline. Soon. Convince yourself that if you don’t finish the story/novel/article by a certain date you’ll never get it published. Ever.

Take on every writing project you can find. All with looming deadlines. Promise your publishers/editors that you’ll finish every one of them by the end of next week.

Set astronomical goals. Everyone needs to formulate goals and strategies for success, but you decide you must write five thousand words a day, every day, for a month. After the first day you’ve already broken half the buttons on your keyboard from pounding them in frustration.

Try to edit every sentence to perfection while you are writing. Replace every word at least twice. And while you are editing, change the story’s main character from an eighteen-year-old girl to a twelve-year-old boy. A few days later change the character back to a girl. Finally realize this is insane, delete the whole story and start over.

Even though you are working on three short stories and two novels you keep getting terrific ideas so you start three more novels. You’ll never make it past page three on any of them because you’ve lost the ability to focus.

Fiction authors--decide that even though you’ve written two successful mystery novels you have to try a new genre. Right now. You start penning a historical romance set in ancient Rome, without first doing any research. This project also stops at page three.

Non-fiction writers--decide that you simply must write about the hottest new Marshal Arts craze even though your expertise is in quilting and crafts. After researching for several weeks you realize your mistake and this time the project stops after the third paragraph.

Already published? If you’ve received one negative review be sure to dwell on that instead of all your great reviews. Convince yourself that the next project may get even more bad reviews so you’d better rethink the whole writing idea.

Not yet published? Your spouse/family/friends proclaim you aren’t a real writer and you should stop fooling yourself. You finally agree with them and give up. If one or more publishers have rejected you, convince yourself that failure is your middle name and vow never to submit your work again. Ever.

Symptoms you can’t ignore

You know writer’s block has you tight in its clutches if you get up in the morning and refuse to turn on your computer, even to check email. Excuses become your mantra. You’re convinced the problem is the computer’s fault. After all, it may have a virus. You take it to the repair shop and don’t even ask if or when they’ll look at it or get it back to you.

Your family notices your house has never been cleaner, you’re reorganizing every nook and cranny, getting rid of ten year’s worth of clutter. The lawn is expertly manicured, the flowerbeds bursting with colorful blooms. You offer to help all your neighbors plant their gardens.

You avoid staying home altogether, running errands all day, every day. Hauling your armchairs in to be reupholstered becomes a priority; having the dog groomed twice in one week doesn’t seem like enough. You decide to go have dinner with your mother-in-law more often, even though she lives in another state…

How to reopen the floodgates of creativity and let the words flow

Relax. Read. Writers are often voracious readers, so pick up a book from your to be read pile. Fresh inspiration is waiting for you between the pages.

Join on-line social groups dedicated to books and writing. Or spend more time with the groups you’re already on and reconnect with like-minded people. Countless authors have experienced periods of writer’s block, and their support and encouragement will infect you with creativity.

Visit a library. Chat with the librarians, ask which books they enjoy, and get their feedback on the most requested books. Check out a book or two you normally wouldn’t select. Ideas are waiting to be discovered!

Find a local writer’s club and attend one of their meetings. They often have critique groups. If you’re willing to show them a sample of your work in progress they might spot a stifling plot problem you didn’t even notice.

Did one project stop your writing cold? File it away. Don’t think about it for at least six months, or maybe never again. Were you trying to switch genres or cover unfamiliar topics? It is true that it’s easiest to write about what you know--so get busy writing about what you love!

Be honest with yourself. Brutally honest. Are you trying to keep up with the latest best-selling novelists who crank out a new book every four months? Everyone has his or her own speed and writing style. Even if you manage to complete as many books as your author idols are yours polished and ready to publish? Sacrificing quality over quantity shouldn’t be your goal.

If you’re blocked due to a lack of story or article ideas, turn on the television or read the newspaper. Common themes are in front of you every day, so choose one and build a story around it. Try focusing on the emotion instead of just the action--love, hate, jealousy…

Go out and have fun! Did you stop writing because that’s all you do? Take a day off. Visit local attractions like museums, botanical gardens, or the zoo. Absorb new scenery through your five senses and brainstorm ways to describe and share these experiences--in new stories, books and articles!