Writer's Block

How to beat writer's block: 25 proven strategies that work. The causes were: 63% high expectations. fear of failure. A study of 2000 writers found that 63% thought about giving up writing because of writer's block. pressure of unrealistic deadlines. The study reveals the strategies these writers used to overcome their creative block. 55% 32% 47% Rise and shine. 55% of writers who wrote early beat writer's block because the brain is more To the point. 32% wrote for shorter periods each day. Setting a deadline and a time limit makes you more focused. Cut the 'net. 47% who blocked distracting websites during writing were more creative and were able to concentrate for longer. creative in the morning, according to science. Full employment. Leave it alone. 34% who thought 32% of writers who put their work to one side for a period of of writing as a daily job wrote more. time came back with more ideas for how to improve it. Fresh air. Stop when the going is good. 9% of writers 0 64% of writers revealed their said they were more productive moving from the city to the countryside. writer's block disappeared when they stopped writing when it felt good instead of when they were struggling to write. Get a grip. 18% of respondents to the survey told themselves to Do something else. A change of scene or activity worked wonders Do a Mark Twain: 24% broke the task of writing down into for 56% of respondents. Go for walk, bake a cake, have sex, just move away from the desk and stop writing. manageable-sized chunks, just like the greater writer advised. toughen up and get over their self-pity. 5% 33% Or a John Steinbeck. At least Just write. 33% of writers lowered their expectations of their first draft and their writing became more enjoyable. 5% of writers followed the advice of another great writer who suggested imagining writing a letter to a friend or a relative. 45% Create a routine. 45% of Become a scribbler. 9% respondents said that disciplining themselves to write at the same time every day had a major impact on their creativity. said they learnt to keep notes and write whenever they felt inspired. Have a cold shower. Brainstorm. 17% of Write to music. 8% Stop over thinking. 4% of the most hardy of writers believed giving themselves a short sharp shock got their creative juices flowing again. 6% said they thought writers weren't constrained by the page in front of them. They wrote in scraps, said music worked to lubricate their less and wrote more. creative juices. notebooks and threw it all together at the end. Pep talk. 15% of writers gave themselves a positive pep talk before each writing session. Visualise your story. 27% said they lie down and visualise their characters before writing, which boosted their output. Get a pet. 8% said their pet lowered expectations, reduced anxiety and give themselves something to focus on other than writing. Meditate. Go to bed. 1% of respondents wrote in bed or even under the covers. Mindfulness meditation helped 6% of writers overcome their block. Walk and talk. The West Wing model of creative writing is walking and talking into a Dictaphone. It Build up a sweat. 27% of respondents said they took up exercise to boost their energy levels and oxygen to the brain. worked for 16% of our survey respondents. Ellin