Seeing past your writers block.

I'm sure many of us have suffered through a time when we just could not open our minds to writing. I'm pretty sure that it happens to all writers at one stage or another. How do you push through it? Are there methods out there that can help us overcome this terrible infliction? Does it really exist or is it just a product of our overworked imaginations?

This morning, as I sat down to write this post, I hit a brick wall. I didn't know what to write! (pretty shocking really after only 5 posts) So, I guess my way to push through that is to write about the fact that I had a writers block.

Now give me a topic any time of the night or day and I'll write about it for you, with relish. Maybe I'm just one of those people that needs a push, or, maybe I'm not as imaginative as I gave myself credit for. However I've decided not to be too hard on myself, after speaking with some fellow writers I've actually found that this is very common place. Sometimes you get so used to writing for a living, that you forget how to write for yourself. So one of the new things I'm going to add to my 'to do' list is to rediscover why I started writing in the first place. (another days work i think).

Some will argue that there is no such thing as writers block, I tend to agree with this on some levels. There are times, let's be honest when we just don't feel like writing, there are times when we do but don't know where to start. This in part is down to lack of research, motivation, imagination and surroundings. Here are some ways I find useful to get past the block;

• Take a break from your surroundings for a bit, even if this is just popping out to the shop for a walk or nipping to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.
• Read something else, pick up the paper or the book your currently reading.
• If you're not properly rested, then you need to take some time to relax or take 40 winks to rejuvenate yourself.
• Still can't write what you need to? Then put it away for a while and start on something else.
• Eat well; I cannot stress enough the importance of eating healthily. If you have a high carb, sugar or fat laden diet, then you're really not doing yourself any favours. A healthy diet = a healthy mind.
• Motivate yourself; surround yourself with reminders of why you are writing from home for a living. Whether that be to spend more time with the kids, to indulge in being your own boss, or to simply get away from the daily grind and have your own routine.
  
• Push past it; sometimes it's just too easy to blame writers block, when in fact it comes down to a combination of idleness or lack of motivation. Put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and just write, write about the first thing that comes into your head, and after a while you will feel the words starting to flow again.

So the bottom line is, there's no such thing as writers block. I've repeated this mantra to myself time and time again. Does it work? Not all the time, but it definitely helps. If you open your mind to the idea that writers block may not actually exist then it's a lot easier to overcome it!

Until tomorrow......