One thing I've noticed while being a creative writing major is that I'm almost always writing. How do I and other writers avoid writer's block?
Jericho Brown, an American writer and poet, has come up with a few ideas to help him write new and unique pieces. One of these techniques includes jotting down notes from your day. He would repeat this every day until he got to a week and then he would write one poem including everything from his notes.
Cathy Park Hong a writer and poet takes a different approach to writing. Unlike writers that have outlined, she writes in more patches. After researching what she wants to write about she then writes small poetic lines or scenes. Due to this most of her writing is random and by chance. She likes this process because she gets the chance to see it grow and morph into something beautiful.
You can get inspiration by changing your surroundings. Late poet and memoirist, Maya Angelou would make her inspiration instead of waiting for it. While her husband would go to work she would get ready for hers.
Renting out a hotel room for six hours a day. Maya Angelo said all she needed was " I keep a dictionary, a Bible, a deck of cards, and a bottle of sherry in the room." on her good days when she got a lot of writing done she would stay longer in the room. this allowed her to not just write but edit her works. Even on her slow days when she didn't get a lot done, she would have a set time to go home after so long of trying.
J.K. Rowling, a British writer and author of Harry Potter made a few tips to help writers. Her first tip is to set aside time for writing. Being a mother she knows how hard it can be to find time. Work on setting boundaries or timers so you don't push yourself and so your family doesn't miss time seeing you.
Rowling's second tip is to have discipline and structure while writing. Instead of treating writing like an option make it your job. We need to train and motivate ourselves to write even if we don't want to.
Read, read, read, and if you are bored go ahead and read a lot more. Rowling's number one advice to other writers is to read as much as you can. The process of reading helps your dictionary of words expand. Make reading a habit. If you having trouble finding time to read even setting aside 30 minutes a day could help.
Next time you go to write think outside of the box. The limit is yours to make, so push it.
