Writer’s Block

Feeling uninspired? Writer’s Block can be quite a sticky situation to land yourself in as a writer, but here are 3 unique ways to overcome it.

“This is it; this is the story that’s going to break literary history. Almost there, almost done, just a few more chapters to go…”

And —-nothing.

Have you been poisoned with the curse of creative emptiness?

Are you feeling like Alice, falling down a never-ending rabbit hole, unable to land in wonderland?

Have you been struck with the impending doom of writer’s block?

Well, no need to join the pity party because here are 3 ways to help you break the writer’s block curse.

Writer’s Block Solution #1: ART

Now, you might be wondering why ‘art’ is a solution to writer’s block when writing itself is considered an art. At least, I like to consider it as an art- the art of painting words onto a blank sheet of paper, into pictures, and into the mind of the person who is reading. Sounds more like magic if you ask me. But with magic, it sometimes runs out and we need to recharge.

One of the more interesting ways to overcome writer’s block is to indulge yourself in a place of heavy inspiration. And what better place could that be than in a museum. Whether you’re looking for an idea for a new book or simply trying to get over a horrid writer’s block phase, drawing inspiration from paintings, sculptures, and antique/ ancient artifacts has proved to be very beneficial.   

Here are a few of my favourite virtual museum tours that would help you to expand your creative side.

The Louvre Museum (Paris, France)

Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

Benaki Museum (Athens, Greece)

Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Museums (Vatican City)

Writer’s Block Solution #2: MUSIC

Music is another great form of inspiration- instrumental especially!

Have you ever heard a song that puts you in the mood to write a certain genre? When you think about it, when it comes to movies, there’s always a musical backtrack that enhances the experience of the viewer. So hey, why not use that as your energy source of inspiration?

Whether you’re stuck in the genre of fantasy, horror, or even romance, there are many tracks out there to give you that extra push. You can find many composers on YouTube. It really doesn’t matter if they’re well-known or new composers, once the music is able to drive that emotion in you, then you’re on the right path.

Here’s one I found and love for example (perfect for epic fantasy):

‘The Last of Her Kind’ composed by Peter Gundry.

Solution #3: LANDSCAPE

This sounds totally weird and unconventional, but it’s a method I’ve found to work pretty darn well. I’ve worked in a school for over 2 years, and I’ve found that visual learning methods have worked wonders regardless of age.

A picture can spill a thousand words, and so, it can also be the foundation of brewing new ideas. A photo of a landscape places you in a particular setting, sometimes even out of your comfort zone and that’s exactly what you may need- a little push in another direction! This is better explained with examples:

What do you see?

Inspiration: The next best Peter Pan retelling? A fantasy set in another dimension, a land between the earth, the sky, and time. A swashbuckling adventure/ chapter set in out of space with a handsome alien pirate as the romantic interest! (Haha too much?)

One of the best ways to help your story to get back into its grove is to allow your characters to take a little trip (use a location in relation to the theme of your story to aid with its flow). If you’re stuck, doesn’t mean your characters should be!

Inspiration: Tuscany Italy is such a lovely place to write about.

So do you get the gist of it? It’s super easy to find photos online, just one google image search away! These are some easy and accessible ways that always seem to help me and I wanted to share that as well with you.

If you’d like more writing tips, check out my article on the #1 writing tip here on the blog. Or, feel free to browse around for book reviews, recommendations, and even read my free novels.