Overcoming Writer's Block

Writer's block can actually afflict any part of novel writing, starting with an inability to come up with an inspiring idea in the first place.

Mostly, though, it is associated with writing a first draft - with facing a blank sheet of paper (or a blank computer screen) and being quite incapable of writing a single word.

But is there a cure for writing block? I believe so, yes.

Overcoming writer's block boils down to approaching novel writing in the correct frame of mind, and you can ensure that you do by following my...

Twelve Tips for Beating Writer's Block

1. Take your Time

Writing a novel isn't a race. Nobody is timing you. Work at your own pace and enjoy yourself.

Yes, I know all of that is kind of obvious, but you'd be amazed how many people view novel writing as some kind of ordeal.

Paradoxically, the less you worry about reaching the end, the sooner you will get there. Why? Because you weren't afflicted by writer's block along the way.

If it takes you twelve months to produce your masterpiece, that's great. If it takes you twelve years, so what?

2. Keep your Eyes on the Road Ahead

The fact that writing a novel means producing several hundred pages of prose is enough all by itself for a bad case of writer's block to strike. And that is precisely why you mustn't think of writing fiction in those terms.

Writing several hundred pages of prose is scary, but writing just one or two pages isn't. So just think of what you need to do today and ignore the rest. You will be amazed how quickly the pages will pile up.

3. Write in the Right Environment

Writing fiction demands concentration, and if you cannot free yourself from distractions at home, find somewhere quieter to work - the park, the library, the car, wherever.

(I talk more about finding a good place to work in Tools to Become a Writer.)

Comfort is important, too. It is hard to focus on the mind if the body is not relaxed.

Personally, I write first drafts in longhand sitting in a comfortable armchair. That's because I can't get creative on a computer and I can't get comfortable sitting at a desk, not for long periods. But whatever works for you is what is best.

4. Plan What to Say in Advance

There is a great temptation with novel writing beginners to skip through the planning phase of writing a novel at breakneck speed so they can get to the exciting part: Writing a First Draft.

Big mistake.

Because writer's block often strikes when you try to do two things at once - planning what to say and working out how to say it.

Planning is largely a left-brain activity, while drafting the novel is a right-brain one. The left half of the brain is the logical side and the right half the creative, intuitive side.

And they don't work well together.

Plunging straight into the first draft without planning beforehand means you will have to plan at the same time as writing.

But if you already have the details worked out before you write, you only have to worry about the language that you use to turn your plan into prose.

5. Don't Write your Novel in Chronological Order

Not if you don't want to.

If your plan is sufficiently detailed, you will have a pretty good idea of what happens in every chapter. And that means you are free to tackle them in any order you choose.

If Chapter 3 is threatening to make you come down with a severe case of writer's block, tackle the more enjoyable Chapter 30 instead. Then return to Chapter 3 on another day when you are feeling more in the mood.

6. Beat Writer's Block by Planning Ahead

If you perform a manual task - putting up some shelves, say - it is much easier to start the day with the tools all neatly to hand and the furniture shifted out the way.

And it is the same with writing fiction.

If you sit down to write without having planned in advance which chapter to work on, you can't hope to achieve anything.

But if the day before you planned precisely which scene to tackle and perhaps even wrote the opening sentence (to act as a springboard into the day's work) you should have a very productive work session.

In a nutshell: Always prepare for tomorrow today.

7. Take the Chapter out for a Walk

Just as sprinters have to mentally prepare for the race ahead, so us novelists cannot hope to write well if we have our minds on other things. Therefore, before writing a draft of a chapter, it is important to put all other cares aside and concentrate instead on the chapter you plan to write.

Personally, I take a walk before writing, whatever the weather, and run through the chapter mentally as I go, picturing it like a movie in my mind's eye.

If other thoughts fight for my attention, I push them away. I concentrate on the fiction, like nothing else in the world matters. And the big advantage of walking, of course, is that when I do sit down to write, I am not just mentally prepared but physically prepared, too.

8. Work means Work

Sorry, but there is no getting around this one...

If you sit down to write but can't get started, try a little harder. Whatever you do, don't sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. It's like expecting your lawnmower to start without cranking the cord.

Writer's block is a bully but tends to leave you alone at the first sign of resistance. The first few sentences of the day - even bad sentences - are often the hardest to write. Once you have those under your belt, the rest usually start to flow (and the quality improves, too!)

9. Write as Badly as you Want

Writing a first draft of a novel is exactly that - just a draft, something that will end up in the recycling bin. Many famous writers are on record as saying that they have to revise their drafts two, three, a dozen times before they are happy with them.

And so the likelihood that you will not be terribly enthusiastic about the quality of the first draft takes all of the pressure off it.

You simply need to fill pages with words. Making them the right words is something to sort out during the process of editing your fiction, not something to worry about when you write the initial draft.

10. Beat Writer's Block by Doing Something Different

If you are tired of writing a first draft, try revising some of the chapters you have already drafted.

You see, even if you follow all of the suggestions above, there will still be mornings when you simply can't face another blank page. So face a page you have already filled with words!

Doing some kind of work on your novel is better than doing no work at all.

Just make sure that the next day, when you will hopefully be feeling more energized, you get back to the drafting.

11. Be Easy on Yourself

If you reach the point when you can't face writing a first draft or even revising previous drafts, take a day or two off.

So long as virtually every day doesn't turn into a day off, you'll be fine.

I mean, there is more to life than writing novels. And I guarantee you will be itching to get back to your novel before too long.

12. Don't Forget to Have Fun

Nobody is forcing you to write a novel. If you wanted, you could quit right now and go take up golf instead.

But you won't quit writing, because writing is something you want to do with a passion.

I am not saying it will always be easy, but writing must never become a chore. Always approach your writing with a positive mindset and writer's block should leave you well alone.