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July 18, 2005
Hack your way out of writer's block
This post popped up on an unrelated google search, the article is dated last year, but it is still as relevant as it was when it was written. 43 Folders has published tips and tricks to overcome every author's worst enemy, the writer's block. Here goes:
- Talk to a monkey - Explain what you’re really trying to say to a stuffed animal or cardboard cutout.
- Do something important that’s very easy - Is there a small part of your project you could finish quickly that would move things forward?
- Try freewriting - Sit down and write anything for an arbitrary period of time—say, 10 minutes to start. Don’t stop, no matter what. Cover the monitor with a manila folder if you have to. Keep writing, even if you know what you're typing is gibberish, full of misspellings, and grammatically psychopathic. Get your hand moving and your brain will think it’s writing. Which it is. See?
- Take a walk - Get out of your writing brain for 10 minutes. Think about bunnies. Breathe.
- Take a shower; change clothes - Give yourself a truly clean start.
- Write from a persona - Lend your voice to a writing personality who isn’t you. Doesn’t have to be a pirate or anything—just try seeing your topic from someone else’s perspective, style, and interest.
- Get away from the computer; Write someplace new - If you’ve been staring at the screen and nothing is happening, walk away. Shut down the computer. Take one pen and one notebook, and go somewhere new.
More here.
Posted by Andreas at July 18, 2005 09:22 PM
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