Questions

I received an e-mail yesterday asking how I came by my “rampant creativity” and whether or not I produced a hypnosis mp3 on this subject. I have never felt that my writing is particularly creative; rather I have what I think of as a “no-nonsense” style of writing. I just write about what I’m thinking; that’s it really.

They say that there is a book in all of us, and I’m sure that there is. You just have to believe in yourself and commit to sitting down and allowing your words to flow. Everyone has their own approach to writing. Mine is probably a little unusual as I never have a plan with anything that I write. I just write the first sentence and if goes wherever it goes, if you see what I mean.

I remember when I was taking exams for my degree that you were advised that the examiner would mark you upon both your essay plan and your essay. I just couldn’t do it. So, all I ended up doing was leaving a blank page before each essay and then going back and making a plan afterwards, just so I didn’t miss out on those marks.

Whenever I try to plan an essay, blog or article my logical plan gets in the way of my creativity; the words simply will not flow. The result is stilted and forced and, to be truthful, not worth reading. I am sure this is what happens when one gets writer’s block. Your logical mind is getting in your way. The problem with writers block is that as you become frustrated by your lack of words your creativity is further impeded; then you try to apply greater logical effort which once again blocks your creativity and a snow-ball effect ensues.

The way in which to overcome writer’s block is to stop what you are doing and relax. Your creative mind will not work when you are tense or frustrated or when you are trying too hard. Your creative mind also needs fuel. You need to look around you with new eyes; you need to be “in the now” and apply full attention and awareness to what is going on around you. As you become absorbed in really LIVING your life you are constantly stimulating your mind. If you live your life in a constant circle of thoughts, you block out your perception of “now”.

As you relax at night and drift off to sleep you will probably be aware that your dreams are incredibly vivid and creative. Your creative mind, your subconscious mind, comes to the fore as you relax. Hypnosis is the state between wake and sleep. Just by learning to use hypnosis you will learn to relax your mind and access the full power of your own creativity.

You can learn to use hypnosis with the help of a hypnosis download. It’s easy, natural, quick and totally safe. In this way you can easily overcome writer’s block; just learn how to relax with hypnosis and spend more time living “in the now”. You will be happier and words will flow freely too. When you love life, everything becomes easier, writing included.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis for success, good health and well-being.


- Roseanna Leaton

Whew! I feel better just getting that out of my head and onto the page!

Writer’s block is the patron demon of the blank page. You may think you know EXACTLY what you’re going to write, but as soon as that evil white screen appears before you, your mind suddenly goes completely blank. I’m not talking about Zen meditation stare-at-the-wall-until-enlightenment-hits kind of blank.

I’m talking about sweat trickling down the back of your neck, anguish and panic and suffering kind of blank. The tighter the deadline, the worse the anguish of writer’s block gets.

Having said that, let me say it again. “The tighter the deadline, the worse the anguish of writer’s block gets.” Now, can you figure out what might possibly be causing this horrible plunge into speechlessness?

The answer is obvious: FEAR! You are terrified of that blank page. You are terrified you have absolutely nothing of value to say. You are afraid of the fear of writer’s block itself!

It doesn’t necessarily matter if you’ve done a decade of research and all you have to do is string sentences you can repeat in your sleep together into coherent paragraphs. Writer’s block can strike anyone at any time. Based in fear, it raises our doubts about our own self-worth, but it’s sneaky. It’s writer’s block, after all, so it doesn’t just come and let you know that. No, it makes you feel like an idiot who just had your frontal lobes removed through your sinuses. If you dared to put forth words into the greater world, they would surely come out as gibberish!

Let’s try and be rational with this irrational demon. Let’s make a list of what might possibly be beneath this terrible and terrifying condition.



Perfectionism. You must absolutely produce a masterpiece of literature straight off in the first draft. Otherwise, you qualify as a complete failure.



Editing instead of composing. There’s your monkey-mind sitting on your shoulder, yelling as soon as you type “I was born?,” no, not that, that’s wrong! That’s stupid! Correct, correct, correct, correct?



Self-consciousness. How can you think, let alone write, when all you can manage to do is pry the fingers of writer’s block away from your throat enough so you can gasp in a few shallow breaths? You’re not focusing on what you’re trying to write, your focusing on those gnarly fingers around your windpipe.



Can’t get started. It’s always the first sentence that’s the hardest. As writers, we all know how EXTREMELY important the first sentence is. It must be brilliant! It must be unique! It must hook your reader’s from the start! There’s no way we can get into writing the piece until we get past this impossible first sentence.



Shattered concentration. You’re cat is sick. You suspect your mate is cheating on you. Your electricity might be turned off any second. You have a crush on the local UPS deliveryman. You have a dinner party planned for your in-laws. You . . . Need I say more. How can you possibly concentrate with all this mental clutter?



Procrastination. It’s your favourite hobby. It’s your soul mate. It’s the reason you’ve knitted 60 argyle sweaters or made 300 bookcases in your garage workshop. It’s the reason you never run out of Brie.



FACE IT? IT’S ONE OF THE REASONS YOU HAVE WRITER’S BLOCK!

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

Okay. I can hear that herd of you running away from this article as fast as you can. Absurd! you huff. Never in a million years, you fume. Writer’s block is absolutely, undeniably, scientifically proven to be impossible to overcome.

Oh, just get over it! Well, I guess it’s not that easy. So try to sit down for just a few minutes and listen. All you have to do is listen? You don’t have to actually write a single word.

Ah, there you all are again. I am beginning to make you out now that the cloud of dust is settling.

I am here to tell you that WRITER’S BLOCK CAN BE OVERCOME.

Please, remain seated.

There are ways to trick this nasty demon. Pick one, pick several, and give them a try. Soon, before you even have a chance for your heartbeat to accelerate, guess what? You’re writing.

Here are some tried and true methods of overcoming writer’s block:



Be prepared. The only thing to fear is fear itself. (I know, that’s a cliché but as soon as you start writing, feel free to improve on it.) If you spend some time mulling over your project before you actually sit down to write, you may be able to circumvent the worst of the crippling panic.



Forget perfectionism. No one ever writes a masterpiece in the first draft. Don’t put any expectations on your writing at all! In fact, tell yourself you’re going to write absolute garbage, and then give yourself permission to happily stink up your writing room.



Compose instead of editing. Never, never write your first draft with your monkey-mind sitting on your shoulder, making snide editorial comments. Composing is a magical process. It surpasses the conscious mind by galaxies. It’s even incomprehensible to the conscious, editorial, monkey-mind. So prepare an ambush. Sit down at your computer or your desk. Take a deep breath and blow out all your thoughts. Let your finger hover over your keyboard or pick up your pen. And then pull a fake: appear to be about to begin to write, but instead, using your thumb and index finger of your dominant hand, flick that little annoying ugly monkey back into the barrel of laughs it came from. Then jump in ? quickly! Write, scribble, scream, howl, let everything loose, as long as you do it with a pen or your computer keyboard.



Forget the first sentence. You can sweat over that all-important one-liner when you’ve finished your piece. Skip it! Go for the middle or even the end. Start wherever you can. Chances are, when you read it over, the first line will be blinking its little neon lights right at you from the depths of your composition.



Concentration. This is a hard one. Life throws us so many curve balls. How about thinking about your writing time as a little vacation from all those annoying worries. Banish them! Create a space, perhaps even a physical one, where nothing exists except the single present moment. If one of those irritating worries gets by you, stomp on it like you would an ugly bug!



Stop procrastinating. Write an outline. Keep your research notes within sight. Use someone else’s writing to get going. Babble incoherently on paper or on the computer if you have to.



Just do it! (I know, I stole that line from somewhere?). Tack up anything that could possibly help you to get going: notes, outlines, pictures of your grandmother. Put the cookie you will be allowed to eat when you finish your first draft within sight, but out of reach. Then pick up the same type of writing that you need to write, and read it. Then read it again. Soon, trust me, the fear will slowly fade away. As soon as it does, grab your keyboard, and get writing!


- John Hayward

You can earn good money as a copywriter, if you’ve got the right skills. Indeed, any writing can be a truly fantastic and rewarding way to earn a living. But before you become a professional writer, you need to know some simple to learn writing skills. How do you get through that intimidating first page, how do you beat writer’s block and earn your first pay cheque as a writer. Before becoming a freelance copywriter I learned some simple tricks to protect against writer’s block. If you’re interested in copywriting these simple tricks, will help you out.

Say What You Want

Many fail as writers because they struggle to put something down on the page; their first words. They sit there eager to type something, knowing what they want to say but not knowing how to say it; they have a fantastic idea, but can’t find the right words to express it. This is where they make their mistake, don’t do the same.

There’s no need to get it right first time. First time round, just write what you want to say. Get your idea down on paper. Don’t worry about grammar, style, punctuation or the words you use, there’s plenty of time for that later. Just start writing straight away; put your ideas down into words and instantly, the blank page is defeated.

Once that’s done, it’s time to go back and ‘polish’ what you wrote. Improving clumsy writing is much simpler than trying to write it right, right from the start.

Perfection

Now that you have completed a re-write, you will have a reasonable piece, but don’t be satisfied, it needs to be perfect. Remove all unnecessary words, replace with words that lift the meaning and enhance descriptions. Delete dull, overused words and add evocative and exciting ones. Keep reading through your work, try and do this through the eyes of someone else; hone it down until it is perfect.

Less is More

Is it perfect now, I’m not so sure? It’s a cliché, but less really is more when you are writing. Try and limit the number of words in your piece. It will help you improve the article, because you’ll have to choose and use only the best, most effective words. If you are to become a freelance copywriter, you must recognise the value of words, so use them sparingly.


- Richard Jebb

Usually stories just flood through my head but for the past couple of months I sit there and stare at a blank page. Help.
- Nell

What is writer’s block?

Everyone who has tried to write has experienced this phenomenon when we absolutely have to write something, particularly on deadline.

Writer’s block is the irrational (?) fear of the blank page. You may think you know EXACTLY what you’re going to write, but as soon as that blank screen appears, your mind suddenly goes completely blank. I’m not talking about the sound of one hand clapping kind of blank.

I’m talking about hot sweat , anguish and panic and suffering kind of blank. The tighter the deadline, the worse the torment of writer’s block gets.

Usually, the cause of the block is FEAR! You are terrified of that blank page. You are terrified that you have absolutely nothing of value to say. You are afraid of the fear of writer’s block itself! It’s a vicious cycle.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve done a lifetime of research and all you have to do is string sentences you can repeat in your sleep together into lucid paragraphs. Writer’s block can strike anyone at any time. It raises our doubts about our own self-worth.

Below is a list of what may possibly be causing this terrifying condition.

1. Perfectionism. You MUST produce masterpiece of writing in the first draft. Otherwise, you are a complete failure.

2. Editing rather than composing. There’s your little man sitting on your shoulder, yelling as soon as you type “In the beginning,” no, not that, that’s wrong! That’s stupid! You get the point.

3. Self-consciousness. How can you think, when you’re not focusing on what you’re trying to write, you’re focusing on your writing problem (or lack of).

4. Can’t get started. It’s always the first sentence that’s the hardest. As writers, we all know how VERY important the first sentence is. There’s no way we can get into writing the piece until we get past this impossible first sentence.

5. Broken concentration. You’re pet is ill. Your power might be turned off any minute. You have a crush on the Postman. How can you possibly concentrate with all this mental clutter?

6. Procrastination. It’s your favourite pastime. It’s your soul mate. It’s the reason you’ve knitted 60 woollen scarves or made 200 step ladders in your garage workshop.

How Can YOU Overcome Writer’s Block

At this point I hear 90% of you saying that writer’s block is absolutely, undeniably, scientifically proven to be impossible to overcome.

Get over it! Well, I guess it’s not that easy. So try to sit down for just a few minutes and take this in. All you have to do is listen and you don’t have to write a single word.

I am here to tell you that WRITER’S BLOCK CAN BE OVERCOME.

Here are some tried and true methods of overcoming writer’s block:

1. Be prepared. The only thing to fear is fear itself. If you spend some time think about your project before you sit down to write, you may be able to thwart the worst of the debilitating panic.

2. Forget perfectionism. No one ever writes a work of art in the first draft. Don’t put any expectations on your writing at all! In fact, tell yourself you’re going to write absolute garbage, and then give yourself permission to just dump your thoughts on the page.

3. Compose instead of editing. Never, never write your first draft with your little man sitting on your shoulder making cutting editorial comments. Just sit down at your computer or your desk. Take a deep breath and flick that little man off your shoulder. Write, scribble, scream, howl, let everything loose, as long as you do it with a pen or your computer keyboard.

4. Forget the first sentence. You can work on the all important firsts sentence later . Skip it! Go start at the middle or even the end. Start wherever you can. Chances are, when you read it over, the first line will be blinking its little neon lights right at you from the depths of your writing.

5. Concentration. This is a hard one. Try creating a space, perhaps even a physical one, where nothing exists except thesingle present moment. If one of those irritating worries gets by you, stomp on it like you would an ugly insect!

6. Stop procrastinating. Write an outline. Keep your research notes near by. Use someone else’s writing to get going. Rant and rave incoherently on paper or on the computer if you have to.

Just do it! (Where have I heard that before?). Tack up anything that could possibly help you to get going: notes, outlines, pictures of your cat. Put the reward you will allow yourself when you finish your first draft within sight but out of reach. Pick up the same type of writing that you need to write, and read it and re-read it. Soon, trust me, the fear will slowly fade away. As soon as it does, grab your keyboard and get writing!


- Cameron Johnson

When the Wicked Witch of the Blank Page (or screen) shows up and turns your brain into mush, it can be really hard to keep your bottom in the chair and come up with something so that you can honestly say you wrote today.

However, no matter how much she waves that wand around, there are a number of things you can do to drop the metaphorical house on her head and squash her flat.

One of my favorites is the “what’s next” technique.

If you take a look at the scene you’re working on right now and haven’t a clue as to what to do with it or how it should go, start making notes or a list of what is going to happen later. This can be the very next scene or even later in the story. Chances are you have at least a glimmer of what’s going to happen down the line. It doesn’t have to be super concrete or written down. Even a vague idea about what you think might happen down the line will work.

Write a one line note at the top of the page (or screen) about what’s coming up. (Yes, it can be longer. If it gets you on a roll, then that’s even better.)

Now that you know what’s going to happen in the future, consider what needs to happen before that in order for the upcoming action to occur. For instance, maybe you need to plant a clue in order for it to make its appearance later. Or consider what might be the missing step that needs to happen in order for the later scene to make sense.

A good way to get this going is to start writing (or typing): “So I know that at some point, [character's name] is going to do __________________, which means that in this scene, ______________________” Fill in the blanks (in writing) and keep going.

Or ask yourself, if Character A is going to be doing X in the future, what would she need to do before that? What would she be likely to do next? If Character B is going to be doing Y in the next chapter, what would make sense for him to do here?

You don’t even have to actually write the scene. Just write about the scene and some possible things you could do with it or directions in which you could go.

As you’re brainstorming (on paper), consider other ways to express or accomplish what you’re trying to do in that scene. Often the first thing we come up with is the obvious. Noodle on five possible ways the scene could play out and see what shows up.

The important thing is to put all your notes and brainstorming on paper. Then you’ll have something to work with. It might be a great idea or story, but if it stays in your head, no one is every going to read it.


- Kieran Mckendrick

When most people think of Writers Block, what comes to mind is usually basic information that’s not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there’s a lot more to Writers Block than just the basics.

What is writer’s block? Well, I just can’t think of a single darn thing to say. Oh well, I’m outta here! Sound familiar? No! Oh, get real! We’ve all experienced this phenomenon when we absolutely have to write something, particularly on deadline. I’m talking about uh, I can’t think of what the word is, oh, yes, it’s on the tip of my tongue, it’s: WRITER’S BLOCK!!!! Whew! I feel better just getting that out of my head and onto the page!

Writer’s block is the patron demon of the blank page. You may think you know EXACTLY what you’re going to write, but as soon as that evil white screen appears before you, your mind suddenly goes completely blank. I’m not talking about Zen meditation stare-at-the-wall-until-enlightenment-hits kind of blank. I’m talking about sweat trickling down the back of your neck, anguish and panic and suffering kind of blank. The tighter the deadline, the worse the anguish of writer’s block gets.

Having said that, let me say it again. “The tighter the deadline, the worse the anguish of writer’s block gets.” Now, can you figure out what might possibly be causing this horrible plunge into speechlessness? The answer is obvious: FEAR! You are terrified of that blank page. You are terrified you have absolutely nothing of value to say. You are afraid of the fear of writer’s block itself!

It does not necessarily matter if you’ve done a decade of research and all you have to do is string sentences you can repeat in your sleep together into coherent paragraphs. Writer’s block can strike anyone at any time. Based in fear, it raises our doubts about our own self-worth, but it’s sneaky. It’s writer’s block, after all, so it doesn’t just come and let you know that. No, it makes you feel like an idiot who just had your frontal lobes removed through your sinuses.

If you dared to put forth words into the greater world, they would surely come out as gibberish! Let’s try and be rational with this irrational demon. Let’s make a list of what might possibly be beneath this terrible and terrifying condition. 1. Perfectionism. You must absolutely produce a masterpiece of literature straight off in the first draft. Otherwise, you qualify as a complete failure. 2. Editing instead of composing. There’s your monkey-mind sitting on your shoulder, yelling as soon as you type “I was born?,” no, not that, that’s wrong! That’s stupid! Correct correct correct correct? 3. Self-consciousness. How can you think, let alone write, when all you can manage to do is pry the fingers of writer’s block away from your throat enough so you can gasp in a few shallow breaths? You’re not focusing on what you’re trying to write, your focusing on those gnarly fingers around your windpipe. 4. Can’t get started. It’s always the first sentence that’s the hardest. As writers, we all know how EXTREMELY important the first sentence is. It must be brilliant! It must be unique! It must hook your reader’s from the start! There’s no way we can get into writing the piece until we get past this impossible first sentence. 5. Shattered concentration. You’re cat is sick. You suspect your mate is cheating on you. Your electricity might be turned off any second. You have a crush on the local UPS deliveryman. You have a dinner party planned for your in-laws. You . . . Need I say more.

How can you possibly concentrate with all this mental clutter? I trust that what you’ve read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain. 6. Procrastination. It’s your favorite hobby. It’s your soul mate. It?s the reason you’ve knitted 60 argyle sweaters or made 300 bookcases in your garage workshop. It’s the reason you never run out of Brie. FACE IT ? IT?S ONE OF THE REASONS YOU HAVE WRITER’S BLOCK!

How to Overcome Writer’s Block Okay. I can hear that herd of you running away from this article as fast as you can. Absurd! you huff. Never in a million years, you fume. Writer’s block is absolutely, undeniably, scientifically proven to be impossible to overcome. Oh, just get over it! Well, I guess it’s not that easy. So try to sit down for just a few minutes and listen. All you have to do is listen? You don’t have to actually write a single word.

Ah, there you all are again. I am beginning to make you out now that the cloud of dust is settling. I am here to tell you that WRITER’S BLOCK CAN BE OVERCOME. Please, remain seated. There are ways to trick this nasty demon. Pick one, pick several, and give them a try. Soon, before you even have a chance for your heartbeat to accelerate, guess what? You’re writing. Here are some tried and true methods of overcoming writer’s block: 1. Be prepared. The only thing to fear is fear itself. (I know, that’s a clich?but as soon as you start writing, feel free to improve on it.) If you spend some time mulling over your project before you actually sit down to write, you may be able to circumvent the worst of the crippling panic. 2. Forget perfectionism. No one ever writes a masterpiece in the first draft. Don’t put any expectations on your writing at all! In fact, tell yourself you’re going to write absolute garbage, and then give yourself permission to happily stink up your writing room. 3. Compose instead of editing. Never, never write your first draft with your monkey-mind sitting on your shoulder making snide editorial comments. Composing is a magical process. It surpasses the conscious mind by galaxies. It’s even incomprehensible to the conscious, editorial, monkey-mind.

So prepare an ambush. Sit down at your computer or your desk. Take a deep breath and blow out all your thoughts. Let your finger hover over your keyboard or pick up your pen. And then pull a fake: appear to be about to begin to write, but instead, using your thumb and index finger of your dominant hand, flick that little annoying ugly monkey back into the barrel of laughs it came from. Then jump in ? quickly!

Write, scribble, scream, howl, let everything loose, as long as you do it with a pen or your computer keyboard. 4. Forget the first sentence. You can sweat over that all-important one-liner when you’ve finished your piece. Skip it! Go for the middle or even the end. Start wherever you can. Chances are, when you read it over, the first line will be blinking its little neon lights right at you from the depths of your composition. 5. Concentration. This is a hard one. Life throws us so many curve balls. How about thinking about your writing time as a little vacation from all those annoying worries. Banish them! Create a space, perhaps even a physical one, where nothing exists except the single present moment. If one of those irritating worries gets by you, stomp on it like you would an ugly bug! 6. Stop procrastinating. Write an outline. Keep your research notes within sight. Use someone else’s writing to get going. Babble incoherently on paper or on the computer if you have to. Just do it! (I know, I stole that line from somewhere?). Tack up anything that could possibly help you to get going: notes, outlines, pictures of your grandmother. Put the cookie you will be allowed to eat when you finish your first draft within sight ? but out of reach. Then pick up the same type of writing that you need to write, and read it. Then read it again.

Soon, trust me, the fear will slowly fade away. As soon as it does, grab your keyboard ? and get writing! Now you can be a confident expert on Writers Block. OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on Writers Block.


- John Abate

In almost every writer’s fora that there is, the deplorable perennial problem of writer’s block has always been brought up by both professional and amateur creative writers. Some discussions have even gone as deep as defining the nature of writer’s block in the hopes of acquiring counter-active measures should writer’s block, a.k.a. “fear-of-the-blank-page” come up in the middle of a deadline.

What is a writer’s block? On the surface, it is simply a period of non-activity for the writer. A writer or a poet may attempt to write something based on the need to write something, and come up with absolutely nothing creative, if anything at all. What causes a writer’s block and what can be done about it? Here are some thoughts and suggestions:

1. The fear of coming up short from their last project - Collectively speaking, most artists and writers have an obsessive compulsion to concretize and materialize, through their works, abstracted thoughts and ideas. Once they attempt at some work, there is always that fear of producing something despairingly short of what they have intended to create from its original idea, thus, disappointing themselves more than disappointing others. If artistic or writer’s block does not happen prior tot he start of the project, it may also very well occur while the work is in process. This explains why several writers may work on different projects at the same time, jumping from one unfinished work to another, others even abandoning previous works altogether for a new one and ultimately not accomplishing anything in the end.

2. A comeback after a long time off - Vacations and some time off taking care of familial/domestic or personal matters can only have two extreme results: either it rejuvenates, recharges and inspires the writer for the next project, or it completely diminishes or finishes off whatever is left of a prolific and fecund mind! Let’s face it, even professional writers are, first and foremost, human beings before they are writers. And, as humans, brilliant and loving their professions as they may be, writers too are bound to lose footing once they have taken some time off from writing, if not inspired and recharged, as mentioned.

3. Insecurities - Lack of formal training…Being a newbie…The writing style…a friend who’s a better writer…etc., etc., etc., these can all spell one thing: insecurities. Our insecurities can really work nasty for writers and we know there is no other way out other than a paradigm shift or a change in perspective for the writer. We know that there will always be other people more educated, more renowned in the creative writing field, writers who are relatively better than us, other trends and styles in writing which the writer can become unfamiliar and intimidated with, but the bottomline is that it is just a matter of gritting your teeth with some decision-making: to write or not to write? In the first place, if a writer is already too busy being concerned with being a writer rather than actually writing, if a writer writes for some reason other than writing for its own sake, then he/she has no business being a writer at all.

4. Bills to pay, daily tasks, and other small details - Where to get the money for the bills, who brings and fetches the children to and from school, and for writers with actual day jobs, how many deadlines to meet — who can still think of writing? These concerns, to mention only a few, hampers the writer’s writer’s sensitive thoughts. These are practical things that need to be done on the daily basis. On the surface, these concerns may seem harmless to an aspiring writer, but eventually, it dries up the creative writer’s reservoir that needs constant nurturing. This is not to say, however, that children, career and domestic chores and other concerns should no longer be tended to in order to write. Being a great writer does not necessarily entail shunning away from daily practical concerns, in the same manner that a duty-free person does not give you a prolific writer. Difficult for the right-brained writer as it may be, time must be managed, schedules and systems must be established in order to attain the perfect juxtaposition and equilibrium of work (chores and responsibilities) and play (writing).


- Ian Williamson

There is a cure for writers block…and it’s probably not what you think. In fact, if you follow these five simple steps you can permanently end writers block forever. This five step technique is as old as paper and pen. (You can also use this technique to get un-stuck in any area of your life.)

When I’m working with my clients, there’s no time to get stuck writing and creating their e-books and workbooks. Maybe you can relate – you’re inbox is full, people are waiting for you to produce results and deadlines are looming over you. On top of all this pressure, you want to write that award winning best seller. There’s no time to waste staring at a blank screen WISHING you had ideas. You have to write this now, time is money! The longer you sit and stare at a blank page the farther away you get from your publisher’s deadline (and your paycheck!)

The Myth about Writers Block

One of the greatest myths about writers block is that you have to wait for inspiration to hit you. Nonsense! The production of new ideas is as definite a process as getting up in the morning and preparing for work. The key to stopping writers block is to come up with new ideas and translate them onto the keyboard quickly and easily. And new ideas are created following a proven, time-tested formula.

How to Come Up with New Ideas Quickly

Italian sociologist Vilfredo Pareto defined an idea as “nothing more or less than a new combination of old elements.” The secret to ending writers block is developing the skill to see relationships between old elements so that you can always have fresh ideas flowing in.

This skill is easy to develop because we do it all the time and may not even recognize it.

When you read a book you mix the words on the page with the thoughts in your head and viola! You’ve just created a new picture in your head. That’s a new idea. You took two unrelated things, words on a page and thoughts in your head, to create something completely new and unique – a picture in your mind’s eye.

All you need to do to end writers block is use these 5 easy steps consistently so they becomes a habit. Once you do these five steps a few times you’ll be amazed at how quickly inspiration will come to you.

1. Gather Raw Materials

Do your homework. Start by actively researching what you’re writing about. If you’re writing a novel, go out and gather materials about your characters. Visit places where they would hang out. If you’re writing a non-fiction book, ask your target market what their greatest challenges are.

You also want to study areas outside of your main topic or industry. Always enrich your general knowledge because as you write, you’ll have a greater pallet of colors to draw from. If you’re writing a book about gardening then visit museums. If you are writing a book about marketing then be sure to read the latest Harry Potter book.

2. Think Hard

After you’ve done your research spend time digesting all you’ve seen and learned. If you’re working on a novel, what are all the possible ways two characters can interact? Make up ridiculous scenarios and think hard about what could happen between them. If you’re writing non-fiction, look at your topic from all angles like you would a jigsaw puzzle.

As you’re thinking hard, little ideas will start to pop up. Write them down!

Keep processing in your head and keep taking notes until you’re exhausted. You’ll reach a hopeless stage where everything is jumbled in your mind. That’s good! You’re ready for the next step.

3. Stop Thinking!

Drop the issue as completely as possible from your mind. Let the problem work itself out in your subconscious. Literally, sleep on it.

4. Let the Idea Pop In

If you did the last three steps correctly, the forth step should happen automatically. A surprising thing will happen. Maybe you’ll be putting away groceries or washing your hair then all of a sudden, “POP!” A brilliant idea and a blaze of clarity will flash in your mind. Go write it down!

5. Put the Idea to Work

The trick to ending writers block is going through steps 1 – 4 on a regular basis. Be consistent in your research, push yourself and then take time off from writing so that your subconscious mind can process the information. Once you get the flash from a new idea write it all out – it’ll be easy because the idea will be crystal clear with all the elements falling into place.

The habit of producing new ideas can end writers block forever because you’re brain gets used to being inspired instead of being stuck. Start to use this 5 step technique today so you can produce more work in less time.


- James Roche