Whether you’re an aspiring writer or a seasoned one, you’ve been there: You’re typing away, or perhaps staring at a blank page, fingers poised over the keyboard, when suddenly you’re crippled by a debilitating case of writer’s block. You might have a chapter due, a feature deadline looming, a press release to dash off, or pitches to make. The point is, you’ve got stuff to do, but nothing’s flowing. You’re stuck.

It happens to all of us. When it does, it can make you want to scream in frustration and throw your notes, computer and various other writing implements out the window. Or at your husband. Take a deep breath. I’m going to share a few hard-won secrets with you. Over the years, I’ve discovered that pushing through a block rarely helps—I just waste time and my blood pressure goes haywire—but these tips do the trick:

1. Read a few paragraphs of really great writing, preferably in the area you should be writing about. For me, if I’ve got an environmental piece due, this could be Daniel Esty and Andrew Winston’s Green to Gold, a clear, extremely well-written tome on corporate environmental responsibility. If I’ve got a press release to finish, I might check out some recent entries on PR Newswire. If I need to write a humor piece, Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding inspires me every time. If I’m stuck in general, I might grab one of Abigal Thomas’ memoirs, or Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Good writing always gets me in the mood to write again.
2. Get outside. Sometimes just sitting on a bench or under a tree for ten minutes, closing my eyes and breathing deeply acts like mental Drano, clearing out the sludge in my head. I try not to think about work. I relax. I breathe in. Breathe out. I remember that no block lasts forever.
3. Break a sweat. If you’re truly stuck, set aside your work and go for a brisk walk. If you’re really, truly stuck, run. Exercise always clears away the clutter, especially when I turn up the volume of my iPod and let the Talking Heads or Rolling Stones or even, gulp, cheesy Madonna sing in my ear. More often than not, what I’m working on gets written in my head as I’m pounding the pavement, and I come home and like what I write.
4. Get organized. Step away from your desk. Organize your notes. Staple like pages together. Sharpen your pencils. Toss highlighters that no longer highlight. Make folders. Label them. Fill them. File them. Vacuum your office, neaten your piles, stack your books. Even better? Move your desk. Change the position of your monitor. Buy a plant or five. Write your deadlines on a calendar. Ahh. Don’t you feel inspired?

As for the opposite of writer’s block—inspiration—keeping a pen and paper handy at all times is a must. The only thing more frustrating than writer’s block is constructing a great piece of writing in your head only to forget it. (One of best lines from late comedian Mitch Hedburg goes something like this: “I write jokes at night in bed in my hotel room. If I don’t have pen and paper nearby, I then have to convince myself that the shit I thought of ain’t funny.”)

I also find that my writing goes measurably better when I get to it first thing in the morning, before the day’s clutter works its way into my brain. I get up, eat a healthful, light breakfast, and go right to work. (I beg my kids to feed the dogs and hermit crabs on work days.) And it goes without saying that your writing will flow better when you’re well rested, sticking to a healthful diet (nothing clogs my brain more than a syrupy, fatty French toast and salty home fry diner fare (yum!)) and getting in some exercise daily. And, sorry Hemingway, writing also goes better when you’re sober. Good luck.

Amy Hourigan

Amy Hourigan, Freelance Writer and Editor
Member, The Society of Environmental Journalists

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