Writer’s block is an unfortunate annoyance that every writer has faced at one point or another and will continue to face as long as they keep writing. It can completely derail some in the middle of a great writing session or keep others staring at a blank page for an eternity. While the cause of writer’s block varies from person to person, the remedy to working through it is the same: keep writing.
Writing exercises are a great way to break through writer’s block. The next time your writing comes to a standstill, consider taking a break from your project to practice with a writing exercise. Writing exercises provide writers with a great outlet to get their words and ideas moving while offering an opportunity to practice their abilities. The next time you are faced with writer’s block, try one of these exercises to overcome it:
Expound With A Freewrite
One of the most straightforward writing exercises to help overcome writer’s block is freewriting. Freewriting is a stream-of-consciousness writing technique that prompts writers to continuously write whatever comes to mind within a time limit, without stopping to think or correct their work. The exercise aims to help writers manifest their raw thoughts and ideas, bolster their writing process, and provide content that can be refined and reworked into more purposeful writing.
Respond To A Writing Prompt
Writing prompts provide an easy exercise to help writers practice their writing and work through writer’s block. Numerous prompts are available to give writers a starting point and direction to begin this exercise. Writers can explore their ideas and unblock their writing by working with a low-stakes writing drill. The writing you do to respond to a prompt might be the momentum you need to break through the writer’s block in your original project.
Consider A Different POV
One of the best ways to troubleshoot a problem is by looking at it from a different angle. In that spirit, another excellent writing exercise to help overcome writer’s block is rewriting a story from a different perspective. Writers may find that rewriting one of their stories, or a more well-known published piece of writing, from a side character’s point of view, could help spark enough inspiration and creativity to overcome any writing blockages. While meant to be an exercise, writing from a different perspective could produce extremely viable ideas.
Imitate A Sales Ad
A good advertisement is meant to invoke a strong emotion and convey meaningful information in a short time. Imitating the copy of a sales ad is a great exercise to practice many skills that every good writer should possess. Crafting an exciting hook, conveying ideas concisely, and creating a clear message are just a handful of marketing skills that apply to other kinds of writing. The next time your writing hits a wall, try drafting a sales flyer for a fake product to refocus your writing.
Search For Inspiration
Similar to writing prompts, writers can also exercise their writing abilities by using images and other forms of media as a prompt. The adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” creates a unique writing goal as writers attempt to pull ideas from that picture. Music, videos, and other kinds of audio/visual stimuli can elicit strong feelings and emotions, providing a plethora of subject matter to write about. If you find your writing is starting to peter out, take a break by writing about what is happening in a song or how a picture makes you feel.
Rewrite A Poem
The works of other writers will always be an endless source of inspiration. Rewriting a poem could help activate parts of your brain that you usually don’t engage with when writing. The nature of poetry also lends to a more symbolic and rhythmic way of writing, which could help inspire a fresh idea. Adding lines and synonyms to a poem is a great writing exercise to improve your skillset.
Look To Everyday Life
Sometimes inspiration can be found in normal, everyday circumstances. Writing about something that happened at work or a story a friend told you about the other day are both excellent topics for a writing exercise. Putting a story into words can be beneficial writing practice, even if it is boring and mundane. Putting a creative spin on these stories could spark ideas for other writing projects.
Write Yourself A Letter
You could be your biggest ally during your next rendezvous with writer’s block. Writing a letter to yourself can be a constructive outlet to revitalize your writing process. Having a conversation with yourself about your current writing holdup might help you work out new ideas. Penning a message to a younger version of yourself is a classic writing prompt and offers no shortage of topics for writers to respond to and keep their writing moving.
Writer’s block is a writer’s worst enemy and can strike without warning. The best defense writers can muster is to always be ready to keep your words and ideas flowing. If you hit a wall, stop and work on writing something else until you feel inspired enough to overcome your writer’s block. Writing exercises are vital to helping writers practice their skills and write right through their next confrontation with writer’s block.
