Breaking Writer’s Block: Three Tips to Get Your Ideas Flowing

What’s the best way to break your writer’s block? These three sure-fire tips will have you back in your writing groove in no time:nnTip #1: Read works by other writers. Listen to other people’s ideas. The ideas for particular characters in your stories don’t have to be yours to be inspired by you. Give your characters their own unique quirks or traits that differ from how other writers set up their characters. Think about this: if Harry Potter was the be-all and end-all of fantasy writing (which some might argue that it is), then no one would have any reason to try to write their own stories in that genre. Find what inspires you from other people’s writing and run with it. Take all that you can from what you read, and shape it all into your own creative genius. nnTip #2: Begin to notice what you have never taken the time to notice before. Something symbolic, whether it is big or small, exciting or dull, has happened to most people. Think about your life, your journeys, and the stories you find yourself constantly re-telling. Watch the news. Read the paper. Listen to people in the coffee shop as you pick up your next latte. You’ll be surprised at what you hear, see, and observe. There is a world of stories out there. Your original thoughts and emotions that you add to your writing will make the piece your own, even if it was someone else you heard saying it or saw doing it. nnTip #3: Take on the role of a “couch potato”. Note the intricacies of how television and movie writers craft their work. Without skillful writers, the TV shows you watch, movies you see, and books you read would not have the same amount of substance or elicit the same amount of emotion for you as an audience. Writers hone their work in such a way that everything seems to flow effortlessly. However, if you take the time to peruse everything that goes into the writing of something, you will be amazed at the level of engagement writers have with their audience, and how much they strive to create the most vivid, colorful, impassioned personas for their characters. Grab the attention of your readers early, just as these writers do. nnOnce you have broken through your writer’s block, you may find a few “road blocks” along the way that impede your progress. If these occur, just remember these three tips. They are sure to keep you thinking, and before you know it, you’ll have your readers guessing yet again at how the characters are connected, or just how the plot will turn out.