• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Nova Walsh

Story is Everything

  • Home
  • Writing
    • Short Stories
    • Nonfiction
  • Extras
    • Quotes
  • About

5 Ways to Beat the Block and Get to Work

August 22, 2013 by novawalsh 2 Comments

James Joyce and Writer's Block
James Joyce – a man famous for writer’s block

I’m just beginning work on a novel I’ve been thinking about for a very long time, but I’m having a lot of trouble making myself do the work. This has happened before, and usually it comes right around the beginning of a new project. I thought tonight I would talk a little about how I push through these blocks and get to work (and I’m hoping in the process I’ll inspire myself to action on my own work!)

5 Ways to Beat the Block and Get to Work

  1. Shitty First Drafts – I first read Anne Lammott’s article Shitty First Drafts in a writing class I took several years ago. The idea is basically to just accept that you are going to write something fairly terrible on your first try, so go ahead and get it over with. Don’t worry about making it perfect or even good.
  2. More Planning This is a dangerous one for me (and I think most people), but there are times when I’m having serious block because I have not planned my story out enough. Planning can be a form of procrastination, but if you’re feeling stuck, try freewriting through the trouble. Write about the scene, the character, the overall plot. Whatever comes. Usually the block will disappear as you explore the problem in more detail and find the next piece to your manuscript puzzle.
  3. Break Projects Down – If you’re thinking about all those thousands of words you have to write, you are going to feel overwhelmed. Breaking something like a novel into small chunks, chapters or scenes, and focusing on that one small thing will help you get past the overwhelm. Remember to come up for air every now and then and look at your project as a whole to make sure you’re staying on target. I like to jot down a few words and the page numbers for each scene and chapter on a notepad as I write. Then every few days I look at my overall plan and adjust as I need to.
  4. Daily Goals – I got this idea from Stephen King. His book, On Writing, is one of my favorite writing books of all time. It always helps me to know that I need to get a certain word count done every day. I personally can’t use a time goal because I’ll spend the whole chunk of it looking out the window, but whatever works for you is great. When I’m working on a novel or story I try to get at least 1000 words a day completed. It doesn’t always happen, but there are also a lot of days that I push way past this. And at 1000 words a day, it’s possible to finish a rough draft of a novel in something like three months. Pretty cool.
  5. Morning Writing – My favorite weapon against writer’s block is to get out of bed as early as I can manage, get my notebook and a cup of tea and just start writing. No time for brushing my teeth or getting dressed or breakfast. More importantly, no time for thinking about the writing. If I can keep myself in that almost dream-like state of just waking, I feel like I have better access to my creativity and the editor voice in my head tends to stay asleep.

Are there any methods you like to use to deal with writers’ block or the fear of the blank page? Please share in the comments below!

Related Posts

  • Beginning The First Draft: Thoughts on Writing a NovelBeginning The First Draft: Thoughts on Writing a Novel
  • Social Media Saturday – Creating a Social Media PlanSocial Media Saturday – Creating a Social Media Plan
  • Picasso and MasteryPicasso and Mastery
  • What Checkov Had that We Never WillWhat Checkov Had that We Never Will
Sovrn

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: writing

Comments

  1. Kiriko Kikuchi says

    August 23, 2013 at 11:31 AM

    Great advice, Nova, thank you! I also assign myself Shitty First Drafts – for everything, actually – work assignments, emails, design projects, blog posts. It really helps to aim for crap because then everything that comes afterwards is an improvement. And getting started is usually my biggest block.

    I started keeping a big sketchbook next to my bed with lots of pens so that I can write for 20 minutes upon waking every day. Anything goes – dream analysis, complaints, goals, to-do lists. If I run out of things to say, I meditate for the rest of the session. I notice I write more the rest of the day on mornings that I do this.

    The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and Women Who Run With the Wolves by Dr. Clarissa P Estes have great insights on tapping into creativity.

  2. novawalsh says

    August 24, 2013 at 3:40 PM

    Kiriko – I love the idea of using shitty first drafts for everything! What a great idea!

    I think writing when I first wake up is the single best tool I have as a writer – I’m glad you use it too.

    And I love the Artist’s Way! What a wonderful book. I’ve never heard of Women Who Run with the Wolves but it’s on my list now.

    Thanks for the comments 🙂

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Writer, epiphany junkie, history nerd.
Lover of food experiments, tall tales, and wild adventures.

Learn More About Nova

Quote of the Week

"A creative person has little power over his own life. He is not free. He is captive and driven by his daimon."
- Carl Jung

Categories

  • History (1)
  • Reading (7)
  • Travel (1)
  • Writing (20)

Recent Posts

  • Irish Blessings
  • Morning Revival
  • Rusty
  • Tidying Up
  • Shotgun Shells, Oh Hell!

Tags

conference festival home interview literary-deep-dive love morning-revival music parenting personal reading recommendation review self-publishing short-story social media travel writing

What I’m Reading

Nova is Currently Reading

The Painted Girls
The Painted Girls
by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Death of a Gossip
Death of a Gossip
by M.C. Beaton

goodreads.com

Archives

  • March 2017
  • July 2016
  • February 2016
  • August 2015
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • March 2013

All Content © 2018 · Nova Walsh