7 ways to avoid writer's block

This is for my author buddies out there! #writersblock is a real thing and something I'm struggling with SO MUCH!

So...how do we get rid of it? How do we get that inspiration to flow to our fingertips and onto a screen or piece of paper?

1. Read. Read books from your favorite authors. Read something new. Read writing books or blogs. Read books similar to the one you are working on. Read something VERY different from what you are working on.

You get what I mean. Reading gets your mind out of your own world and into someone else's and allows for you to see what other authors are doing. Sometimes reading something in another book I think about my characters and what they would do in that situation. That alone gets my mind ready for writing!

2. Plan. Now I know, I know, there are planners and pansters(writers who plan with outlines and writers who fly by the seat of their pants). Doing an outline is not really what I am talking about here. The kind of planning that I am talking about is planning writing into your schedule.

Rachel Hollis said something along the lines of: If you can't make an hour of time everyday for your dream then you need a new dream. Just put an hour of time aside everyday, or at least 6 hours in a week, toward your WIP. Putting that time in the calendar and treating it like you have to show up or lose your job, will do wonders!

3. Think of writing as your job--not a hobby. This one goes along with number 2 but is a bit different. Think of yourself as a writer--even if you don't get paid! even if you aren't published! YOU are a writer if you have something in your soul you need to WRITE down. Giving myself that title really made all the difference in how I viewed my WIP and what I did during my writing time slot.

4. Write something different. Go to a new world. Write a fanfic. Do a research paper on something random. Whatever floats your boat. JUST write something. Then it will get your mind and fingers in the writing mode and when the inspiration strikes, you will know what to do!

5. Write about secondary characters. Think of a character's backstory. Write it.

Write how a secondary character met your main character when they were children.

Put a character in a locked room and write how they get out. Do they use magic? Do they build something? Do they yell and scream? Do they give up?

Write a favorite scene from a different person's point of view.

What would those characters do if they met Harry Potter? How about Sherlock? What if they meet [insert name of any other fictional character OR real person].

What would a character do if they saw a television? smart phone? dragon?

Those are just a small amount of questions or prompts you can do to get better into the mind of your characters and write about them and in the world without staring at a blank page.

6. Write a different scene. You can connect the dots later. Just write SOMETHING. You never know what may come of it.

7. People watch. Go somewhere and watch people, make up their stories.

People watching is one of the best pastimes ever! It gets you out of the house, out of your comfort zone, and off your phone too!

If you don't think people watching is a good idea, remember that Tolkien thought of Gandalf because he saw an old man sitting in a park.

I hope these ideas are helpful!

Stay nerdy, my friends!

Be weird. Be you. Be wonderful.