We all experience it. You may not be a writer, but if you do have creative projects, a block is likely to happen at one point or another. Personally, this happens to me a lot. It might not be on a large scale where I do no writing at all. I always do the same thing to combat it though. I keep writing.

My goal for each night has been increased to 600 words. That may not seem like a lot but for me, it is a stretch. This means that if I can write for 10 days in a row, I have now written 6,000 words. This is a short story on Amazon. If I write my goal for 30 days in a row, I have just finished a novella. Writing for 60 days straight and I have almost finished a novel. The average has always been higher, even if it is by just a single word.

I experience writer’s block in small ways. I may be working on a novel and the creativity just stops on that storyline. I will sometimes try to power through and maybe examine the area or situation via a reflection. If that is not working, I will move to another story. Sometimes, I need to resort to writing blog posts or journaling to get that word count where it needs to be. Whatever it is that I need to do to get the words out, I do.

Other times, this is on a larger scale. The world of Runner is on hold as I have not had much inspiration on where her story should be going. I have another novel that has been on again off again. The reasoning is that I just don’t feel the inspiration at times. I can open up the document and reread the last few chapters. The direction is lost on me and I just sort of freeze up. 

It happens. Everyone in a creative area will suffer from a block of some sort from time to time. My advice is to keep at it. Write about that random object you have sitting on your desk. Paint or draw something you see out of the corner of your eye. Lay down a beat on your audio mixing software. If you keep at you, you will find the inspiration you are looking for or create a whole new project. 

I am addressing writers here. Writing prompts are highly recommended. I say this as there is a weird trend I have found. My own thoughts and ideas, I can write off them pretty well. I do equally well, if not better at times when given something to write about. A candle, an empty box, a statement or even something like the question “what was your favorite activity this summer” can spark so much thought in yourself and get words on the page.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this. I would love to hear how you combat creative blocks. Leave a comment or email at info@nwvincent.com. Happy creating!