As a professional writer, there are many obstacles to overcome that range from promotion issues to problems with composition. Writer’s block is one such obstacle, and it takes place when a writer has run out of topics or points to talk about. This road block is one of the leading causes of stress to the professional writer, but luckily, it can be easily overcome by employing certain strategies.
According to the Perdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), there are a multitude of reasons why writer’s block may occur. It can happen when a writer has not thought about the work prior to beginning, when a writer is feeling pressure because of the work, or when a writer is uninterested or puzzled by the topic they are supposed to write about. There are techniques that professional writers can utilize to combat the symptoms of writer’s block.
When a writer is uninterested or confused by the topic at hand, writer’s block may attack. This is especially true for client writers, who take jobs from clients for a certain amount of money. Some client writers will compose articles about topics that they have no interest in or knowledge about just to make a few dollars. This is the reason why most client writers only desire to take on assignments that reflect on their own personal knowledge or experience. However, most freelance writers cannot afford to hold out in that manner.
To combat this type of writer’s block, the writer should first research the topic and plan out exactly what they will talk about in the article or paper. There is always at least one aspect of the topic that may establish interest in some way. When this is the case, start the article or paper by researching more about that specific part of the topic. This will give the writer a few sentences on the page, which might begin to spawn some other thoughts that can be appropriately added to the paper at hand.
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Another reason writer’s block can take place is due to the pressure behind the work. This takes place more in college, when one large research paper can be worth over sixty percent of one’s grade. When the writer begins the paper, it feels as though no sentences are good enough for the finished product. Therefore, nothing is getting done, and the writer becomes extremely stressed out to the point where they cannot write any longer.
The main idea on how to stop this from happening is to take some five minute breaks in between the writing process to cool down. If one worries about the final product of their composition, very little will get done; most of the time that is supposed to be spent on writing the paper elapses fearing the worst instead. Becoming anxious about the paper will not get it done, and therefore, the writer needs to realize that the writing must get done. The writer should organize their notes on the topic and figure out how they want to present the information. The rest should come naturally.
Writer’s block is not impossible to persevere through. No writer is immune to this horrible writing virus, yet it can be broken through careful planning, thoughtful research, and a bit of downtime. Just take a few deep, slow breaths to calm down. You will never cope with your writer’s block if you feel anxious. Remember that all writers experience writer’s blocks. You are not alone. A writer who’s never experienced it hasn’t actually written very much. Have you ever experienced writer’s block? What’s your effective way to combat it? Please share your tips and experience with us in the comments section.
