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    11 Unconventional Ways To Immediately Overcome Writers Block

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    Here's a quick guide for how to get over writer's block.  These are methods I've personally used very successfully, and I hope you scroll through this, find a good method, and get over writer's block too!

     

     

    1.) Dictate The Words Into Your Phone

     

     

     

    2.) Write Inside A Distraction Free Zone

     

     

     

    3.) Use A Headline Formula

     

     

     

    4.) Physically Alter Your State Of Mind

     

     

     

    5.) Chemically Alter Your State Of Mind

     

     

     

     

    6.) Follow A Writing Prompt

     

     

     

    7.) Make A Constraint For Your Assignment

     

     

     

    8.) Stop Being A Little Bitch About It

     

     

     

    9.) Make An Outline

     

     

     

    10.) Take A Nice Shower

     

     

     

     

    11.) Copy Someone Else

     

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    Download this entire Writer's Block post for your own files:

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    Keep this in your files for whenever you have Writer's Block and need to get rid of it!

     

    P.S. If you want more help with Writer's Block, checkout some of our Copywriting Tips for more inspiration!

     

    P.P.S. Comment below what YOU do when you have writers block.  I am going to add (and draw!) more methods here based on the comments!

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    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Yup, this is much like what I do when I dictate into the phone. It's such a great method!
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    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Thank you Waqar! You literally have more access to information nowadays than the President Of The United States from just 20 years ago.

    It's amazing how many resources we have, yet many people don't utilize them. They're there for the taking :)

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Nice! Thank you Max :)

    I keep a "Swipe file" on my computers and my phone that I constantly add things that make me go "hmmm"

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    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Well I'm really glad you got something out of it Jordan :)

    It seems like you add a constraint to start writing. You can also double-add another constraint like "I have to start writing in 10 minutes and the first sentence has to be "once upon a terrible time...""

    That might poke your brain into thinking in a different way also!

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    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Thanks Denise! I think #8 is getting the most attention :)

    The Pandora Deep House radio also doubles as my background music when people are over, it's great stuff!

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    Guest Sheiler

    Posted

    Love all the suggestions...But I've been getting into (again) something I got for free from Ramit Sethi's mentor at Stanford - whose name I can't recall right now - which was to form a tiny habit and grow it. So I make an agreement for a short period of time like so: "When I wash my hands in the bathroom, I will do 5 squats." And whenever I do this, I have to give myself a little sign / reward. I usually do a corny fist bump with the air above my head.

    So for writing, and trying to come up with a tiny habit, I've also taken to something that Norman Mailer (the writer) used to do. His assistant wrote a book that said every day before writing, Mailer would play a few rounds of solitaire to get his head right. And then he proceeded to go upstairs to write his arse off.

    My habit has involved the dog. When I wash my hands in the sink (because god knows one should always wash hands after walking a dog), I go to my notebook and write out 3 images I got while walking. I always get pictures when I'm walking. Pen on paper. And once I've done that, I can sometimes switch over to the computer to continue writing, even if it's a different subject. The hard part is if someone talks to me immediately after walking the dog. So I am considering another trigger.

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    Guest Say Your Excuses Out Loud / Impossible

    Posted

    […] h/t to NevMed for this illustration that prompted this post […]
    Link to comment
    Guest Yatin Khulbe

    Posted

    Whenever I don't get any ideas, I simply scan passerby's expressions by standing on my balcony. As I live nearby buzzing road, l get the chance to a see a mix of a happy and sad bunch of people. The most hilarious are the telephonic conversations. Sometimes, people on phone forget they are walking on a busy road. As a result, they express they emote their extreme emotions without worrying about the surroundings. From small children to elderly citizens, I get the chance to read expressions by just standing on my balcony. At that time, I forget about any blocks (be it personal or related to my writing profession) and I completely immerse myself with their emotions. It may look absurd, but I feel relaxed by seeing the sea of emotions floating on people's face.
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    Guest Austin

    Posted

    The 5 minute mindset.

    It's something I learned about recently that has made a huge difference in my ability to follow through or start working on something. It's a fun little productivity habit.

    - Plan on giving up 5 minutes of your time towards your project, be it writing, business, exercise.

    - Follow through & most often you'll find that once you're in the zone you keep going way past 5 minutes.

    - AND... if not, well, 5 minutes done today. There are 5 more tomorrow. The fact is you made the effort.

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    Guest Lizzie

    Posted

    Perfection paralysis insists that I write nothing until I can exquisitely phrase brilliant ideas that will be loved by every person who reads them. Which means that I write nothing. So to get unblocked I go the opposite of #8 and totally release my Inner Bitch--employing profane language to throw off-the-wall, badly composed, poorly punctuated, incomplete thought fragments onto the page. Playing gangsta rap in the background is a bonus. (I am old enough to get senior discounts and not a fan of rap, but it has its place.) This process is the mud wrestling of writing--it's fun, it's ugly, it gets the ideas onto the page, and it gets me going.
    Link to comment

    Hi Guys

    For me personally, I would bring the topic that I am writing up in a chat room. People here in Taiwan like to join English chat room and they always like to share: sometimes a book passage, or from their own reflection.

    Also napping helps, as I read somewhere that many great scientist nap for new ideas and breakthroughs.

    Cheers,

    Ryu

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    Enjoyed the words, and the artwork (Especially #4) :)

    I alternate depending on the circumstances -

    I go out, take a nap, see some TV, talk to someone (cats included) let social media swallow me...

    I can't drink coffee or alcohol but have my own little herbal mind softner...

    But lately, I am trying to teach myself to simply plow through,

    except it will probably be crap, and still put it on the page as part of the process.

    Maybe it's silly or cliche, but I feel that doubts and fears are my worst writers block

    This is my way of showing myself "what is the worst thing that can happen"...

    After that I can move on and know that what ever will come next will probebly be better :)

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    Guest Jacob

    Posted

    Great stuff Nev!

    Let me throw my 5pence (I'm in the UK) to the conversation.

    I thought I am weird, but after reading this post I feel free from the burden of such thought. Ehehe ))

    1. I get goood ideas when manually washing the dishes or doing some other repetetive thing. I guess my mind just spaces out and goes to some other dimension.

    2. I walk back and forth around my apartment for an extensive amount of time and after this "walk" I usually get a nice little basket full of ideas. (When I think about it it's kind of similar to point #1, but the dishes remain dirty in the sink)

    Cheers guys!

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    Guest Savanah

    Posted

    I grab a kombucha, lay out on my hammock and chill. Starring out at the beauty of the world. And ask the universe to enlighten me on what I'm having trouble with. Real talk.
    Link to comment
    Guest Brian

    Posted

    I use Google Keep on my phone and on the computer (which get nicely synced instantly) to keep track of everything I think would be useful for a future article or email.

    So it's a preventive measure for writer's block that immediately overcomes it because you can look at your bank of things you wanted to write about!

    Link to comment
    Guest Putting our hardship or challenges into context | It's About Learning

    Posted

    […] Source: copywritingcourse.com/writers-block/  […]
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Hmmmm, using a dog to combat Writer's Block....now THAT'S a new one!
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Oh good one Yatin! I would say this one is like "Changing Up Your Physical Environment" because it gets your brain out of the monotonous environment you're in and into a more creative and playful state.

    It's cool that works well for you :)

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Hmmm.....it seems you have away more discipline than I do Austin! However you're correct in that just STARTING the damn thing will kick you off in the right direction.

    Thanks for sharing.

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    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Nice tip Brian! I actually never heard of Google Keep till right now, thanks for teaching me something new :)
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Oh man, that sounds relaxing. I'd probably just fall asleep :-P
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    Guest Neville

    Posted

    Hahaha...washing the dishes! Now THAT is definitely an unconventional method :)

    I know what you mean though, repetitive tasks like that (or a shower) for some reason definitely open up creativity.

    Thanks for sharing Jacob!

    Link to comment
    Guest Walid

    Posted

    I do what men who laugh last do: Laugh with no teeth. (go nuts)

    I Call to report: that Captain Caveman Stole my Unicorn Sandwich

    Fly an oversized kite then hand it to a complete stranger while crying.

    Visiting the boys at the psych wards. . Preferably NOT the one the cops didn't put you in before trial.

    Have a serious chat with my dad about his childhood escaping the Israeli Occupation... fatherless, barefoot, 4 year old boy figuring life out on the streets of lebanon. Always ending with what he refers to as being shat out at birth (humouroulsy): Shit Comes out whether you eat or not.

    (It does, doesn't it... Yet, i walk away knowing full well he meant Shit Happens. But the way he phrased it, made me realize... (well,

    Got back back to writing, no longer feeling shit because the block "it came... and it will come out".

    I may come off as incompetent, possibly lost... blame the Captain Caveman. I haven't eaten. But I have Kite to fly.

    Good Hunting All

    P.S. Whale poop

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