By Max Chi
Most of us writers have experienced writer’s block at one time or another. If you’ve had writer’s block, you’re in good company. Writers from Aristotle to Shakespeare to Mark Twain to Stephen King have gone through it. It’s not just limited to writers: illustrator Ashley Goldberg, photographer Matthias Heiderich, and multidisciplinary artist Aris Moore, among many others, have suffered bouts of creative block.
It can be frustrating, worrying, and frightening all at the same time. You find it hard to come up with ideas for a new project or paths to continuing the work you’ve been doing. You realize you’ve been staring fruitlessly at a blank screen or piece of paper and wasting precious time and energy.
Fortunately, there are ways to avoid getting into this state. Here are some suggestions.
- Try freewriting exercises
Most accomplished writers agree that a good way to develop your writing skills is to write a lot. Research finds that the brain is a little like a muscle in how it responds to stimuli. By exercising specific muscles, you make those muscles stronger, and by exercising specific mental skills, you become better at those skills. Writing on a frequent basis helps you develop your writing skill and you are then less likely to encounter periods when you are at a loss for words. See More. . .