A Guide to Writer Block

As a writer and a role-player, there is one thing that really irks me (as I'm sure it does you, too): Writer's Block. Not only does it asphyxiate your creative muse, it's one of the most frustrating things ever! Another annoying part is the advice you are sometimes offered is often repeated to you. These can be to listen to music, read a little more, take a short break and even play solitare.

The simplest cure is also one the most popular one: just write. It doesn't matter if the stuff you write is utter nonsensical rubbish, just get it out of your system so you can continue working on your current project.

Another thing that can eradicate the mental blockage is prevention. So my first prevention tip is to simply be focused on what you are writing about, why you're writing it, who is involved and where it is. Of course, you're probably already focused seeing as these are key for just organizing yout thoughts on the story. But if you have more than one project on, which one is this focus being applied to? More than one means you're splitting your energy and therefore your focus isn't going to be as good as it would if you were just working on one. I'm not discouraging you. Heck no! But if you send your energy into focusing on just one of these stories, you'll get better results after smoothing down the rough edges.

Another block buster is being organized. If you're like me and super disorganized, it can be a pain to trudge around for the chapter you want or the idea you quickly scrawled. Being disoranized can really stifle your focus. Another point that feeds into organization is comfort. If you're uncomfortable, then how can you write? Listening to music does help and can also really help with your mood. Make your clothes and even your chair as comfortable as possible, too. Hey, why not make some snacks for when you're writing? Try and write in a place with good lighting too because you don't want to have to squint all the time, do you? If it's sunny out, you could go catch some vitamin D and write outside. Just don't leave your computer outside. The weather can change in the blink of an eye, after all, and a soggy computer often doesn't like to be used ever again.

As hard as it is, another prevention of a trip to Writer Block Land is to leave your IM messengers off for a while. This means, get off skype, MSN, Yahoo Messenger and even Camp Half-Blood's own chat box. Talking to people, even if it's for writing ideas and tips, can divert your attention from the people you made up. Procrastination doesn't help here either. Sitting down with the intention of writing and checking your posts and private messages and emails also counts. Shut out the outside world and focus on the one you're building up.

Now on to more tips to get rid of the block, eh?

Writing isn't the only medium out there to express creativity. Drawing, riddling, painting, oragami, making short movies about anything at all... All these can help out. You might end up thinking about your story anyway. Doing something that inspires creativity could help. Maybe you just need to take a break?

Sometimes, many people think that discipline to sit down and ignore the world makes them a better writer. This can be a little dangerous. You had a life before you sat down, you should have one to carry on with when you stand back up. Never ignore your life. This tip means that it's OK for you to stand up and stretch your legs, maybe go for a short walk to see what inspiration you can get. When you come back and start writing again, you should have a clearer mind. It doesn't matter if you lose time at the keyboard if you weren't being a productive writer anyway, right?

I hope these tips help. I spent a while searching for them and I even took the time to ask some writer friends I have. These tips can be useful for RP Block, Art Block as well as Writer's Block so don't be afraid to use them whenever the big, bad barriers of block rain down in your mind.

Sources used for this article: Yahoo! Answers, Elfwood, Wattpad writers as well as users on Tumblr. A special thanks to all who helped out.

Thank you, Shan...this may help...I'm getting some ideas...