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Search Engine Journal has produced a really useful list of techniques for overcoming the inevitable writer’s block.
It can be agonising when you just can’t find the words and an occupational hazard for anyone who has to write.
I’m definitely an advocate of a change of scene, sometimes just switching from desk to sofa can help me or I’ll head out to a café – I wonder if a short stroll in fresh air is part of the reason why that works?
Also researching around the topic can sometimes reveal an unexpected inroad into a subject.
And then there is the looming deadline. I know a lot of journalists who need the pressure of time to get fingertips tapping the keyboard.
Do you have a tried and tested technique for overcoming writer’s block or just to get you past prevarication?
I also subscribe to the change of scenery method. But the thing that always seems to work best for me is outlining. When the words won’t come, creating a framework for how I want the final piece to flow — sometimes by simply jotting down a few bullet points of the beginning, middle and end — is enough to get the creative juices flowing again.
That’s a really good idea Sara, a technique I’ve used periodically. I find it particularly useful when I’m writing reviews on my theatre blog, sketching out the points I want to make can give a good starting point which had otherwise eluded me.