Intro:
Writer’s block. Oh, horrid writer’s block! It’s such a common fear (and problem) with many writers, and today’s guest blogger, C.S. Wilde, tackles the topic fearlessly and humorously.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in guest articles are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect my own. To show authenticity of the featured writer, articles are posted as provided (a.k.a. I do not edit them). However, the format may have changed.
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Things to Do When You’re Suffering from Writer’s Block by C.S. Wilde
You want to fill that blank page so bad, but the juice isn’t flowing.
Feels familiar?
We’ve all been there, but do not fret, fellow writer. There are many ways to turn your lack of inspiration into a ton of productivity!
Fun fact: You usually get writer’s block because you don’t know what to do or where to go with your story. Basically, your muse is telling you it needs time to figure things out.
By the way, muses can be very nasty. Mine in particular loves getting drunk and flying to Vegas every weekend, and she slept with my boyfriend once, so we don’t exactly get along.
Anyway, here’s Things to Do When You’re Suffering from Writer’s Block, or alternatively, What You Should Do When Your Muse Flies to Vegas and Sleeps with Your Boyfriend:
- Write a new story. Can’t figure out what to do with your current manuscript? Start a new one! You might even find the answers to your old story’s problems inside your new one. *mind blown*
- Outline your current project. This is usually done at the beginning, but don’t worry, you can definitely do it now. Write down a general description of your scenes/chapters from beginning to end. This will give you the big picture, and having the big picture will help you figure out what to do next.
- Write a short-story. This is one of my favorites. It’s a fantastic way to gain experience points and perhaps earn some extra bucks.
- Revise an old story. Maybe it’s time to work on that project left forgotten in the bottom-drawer. Plus, it’s always great to check your old stuff to see how much you’ve improved.
- Start a blog about something you love. This one will feel absolutely great. An example: I love humor, but I’m not exactly Tina Fey, so I started a humor blog without high expectations, and it does surprisingly well!
- Write to a friend. I get the craziest dialogues by texting with my BFF. One of our best exchanges: “I shall name my boobs Awesome and Nutcracker. Nut is clearly the badass of the duo.” To which she replied, “I’m naming mine Kim and Kanye.”
- Engage in forums for writers. You can learn a LOT from fellow authors, and you can make awesome friends who will support you along the way. Here’s a good place to start.
- Write an article and submit it to magazines. This is another way to add good and old fairy dust to your cv, and maybe earn some extra bucks (plus experience points). The Write Life is a great place to start, and here’s a list of 25 sites that pay for guest posts.
- Draft a query letter, tagline, or blurb for your book. Seriously, that’s the hardest thing a writer can do. If you manage to go through THAT, you can surely get your story back on track.
- Write your author bio. It’ll make you feel all fancy and stuff.
The possibilities are endless. And you know, stories are jealous little things. If you start looking elsewhere, they’ll go after your muse and bring her back by the hair. Caveman style.
Take that, Britney! Yes, my muse’s name is Britney.
Cheers and happy writing, everyone!
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About C.S. Wilde:
C.S. Wilde is just another author, here to entertain people. She writes about fantastical worlds, love stories larger than life and epic battles. She also, quite obviously, sucks at writing an author bio. She finds it awkward that she must write this in the third person, and hopes you won’t notice.
She exists here, and twitters here.
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Want to be a guest blogger? Now is the time to submit. I will be stopping guest blog posts in October/November, but before then, I would love to have you on! I am accepting original posts that focus on reading and writing. Pictures, links, and a bio are encouraged. You do not have to be published. If you qualify, please email me at shannonathompson@aol.com.
~SAT
Shannon A. Thompson 
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
As weird as it sounds, one thing I do is biking or taking a walk while listening to music. I just let my mind wander around the idea or just in general. Many times I find the answer is rattling around my brain somewhere and will turn up when I stopping hunting. Forgot the term for doing simple tasks to get the subconscious active.
This was very encouraging to read! Oftentimes (because I can be quite stubborn) I just want to keep hitting my head against the wall until I come up with the next step in my writing, but it’s true that walking away from it has often been much more effective! Thanks for sharing!
I do the same thing, but I tend to get pulled away at some point. The ‘joy’ of not living alone means there’s always someone around to act as a distraction. So I’ve had to train myself to do a lot of mental work and retain the thoughts. This ends up helping to clear some writer’s block before I even get back to the manuscript.
That is an awesome idea, Charles! : )
Reblogged this on theowlladyblog.
Reblogged this on C.S. Wilde and commented:
Hi Guys,
I’m over at Shannon’s today with some awesome tips! See you there ; )