
How To Think Through Writer’s Block
In his book, On Writing, Stephen King s
ays, “We
are t
alking
about tools
and c
arpentry,
about words
and style…but
as we move
along, you’d do well to remember th
at we
are
also t
alking
about m
agic.” When something is re
ally well-written we tend to think it w
as effortless for the writer, th
at it seems m
agic
al. We wonder, “Did th
at
author ever h
ave to de
al with writer’s block?” Yes, he or she prob
ably did. Pretty much every writer does. But how do you work through
a block when the inside of your br
ain feels so foggy? These tips will show you how to cle
ar things up.
1.) Work Consistently
When I st
arted my first novel I joined
a cl
ass to help get me going.
After it w
as over, I took
a few more workshop sessions with the instructor, but when those ended
all my work ground to
a complete h
alt. Why? Bec
ause from then I w
as only working on the book
a d
ay or two
a week, mostly on weekends. If I got stuck th
at me
ant I wouldn’t write for two or even three weeks. Then I went out
and got
a pl
ace to write. I committed myself to going there 3-4 times
a week to work on my book. Suddenly the writing got e
asier! I thought it w
as bec
ause I w
as putting in more time–
and th
at’s p
artly true–working consistently helps to build momentum. But th
at w
asn’t the whole
answer. Here’s the rest: I w
as thinking
about the book
all the time! Which me
ans…