If you do any kind of writing, whether it be for work or pleasure, then no doubt you have come against writers block once or twice.  There have been a few times for me over the last 3 years where I have sat and stared at the screen, the cursor seeming to mock me, willing the words to come.  Once I have started, the words flowed so I want to share with you the things I do when writer’s block has come to stay.

1.  Ask your social media followers

That is actually how this post came about.  I asked on twitter if anyone had any topics to write about and Lydia suggested writer’s block.  So here we are.

2.  Find a list of writing prompts.

A quick Google search will give you heaps of resources for writing prompts.  They range from the good old lists to topic generators.  Although I have found with the topic generators that you generally need to have some sort of idea what you want to write about, so not very helpful when the grey matter is completely dormant.  I regularly use this list which I found on Pinterest, as well as this list from Fat Mum Slim.

3.  Set up Google News Alerts.

This one is more for the long term but it’s been helpful not just for writer’s block my blog but also sharing things on social media.  I currently have alerts for ‘mental illness Australia’ ‘mental health Australia’ and ‘self harm Australia’ but of course you can set up alerts for any search term you wish.  It’s as simple as putting your search term into Google, switching to news then scrolling to the bottom of your page where is says ‘create alert’.  You can choose to have the alert sent to you as it happens, daily or weekly.  You can edit your alerts any time by heading here.

4.  Find a link up with a prompt.

I’m going to toot my own horn here but The Lounge and Sunshine Sundays both have prompts to follow each week.  When writer’s block has hit, I find the prompts help steer me in the right direction, or at least give me a starting point.  I must confess, which is hosted by Kirsty at My Home Truths also has a prompt each week, and I am sure there are many more link ups that have prompts.  Lisa Berson has a great list of Aussie Link Parties.

5.  Write a list post about something you know or learned.

List posts are awesome.  I love a good list.  I especially love them because they tend to be pretty easy to write, making them perfect for when writer’s block strikes.  They could be as simple as your top posts for the year/month or more word heavy how to posts.

6.  Find a picture and write something about it.

We had this prompt during my QCS Test and I loved it.  We had an image and then had to write something either fiction or non fiction about that picture.  You could pick a photo you have taken yourself or find one on Google.  Just remember to ask permission and use appropriate credits if you are using an image belonging to someone else.

7.  Use the alphabet.

Like I said, I love lists.  You could turn this into a whole series of posts like the A-Z Challenge or one post.  I’ve done the awesome alphabet of me as a questionnaire, but really the ways it could be done are limitless.

8.  Just write.

I know it seems so simple, but it’s true.  Even if you do a complete brain dump that no one ever reads, once you start the flow, it’s usually pretty hard to stop.  That brain dump usually results in tangents too, so you could very well end up with a few ideas for posts.  Most importantly, don’t stress.  The writers block won’t last forever, promise.

What do you do when you have writer’s block?

When was the last time you suffered from writer’s block?