Every writer faces it at some point. You sit down to write, but no words come out. You rack your brain and try to force yourself to start writing, but to no avail. Writer's block. It happens to everyone from beginners to New York Times bestsellers.
How do you get out of writer's block? If your living depends on your writing, then writer's block is a very costly ailment indeed. The way most people try to get out of writer's block, by putting pressure on themselves, seldom works.
Instead, the next time you face a block, try one of these three methods. These methods can work quickly to bust you out of writer's block by addressing the issue from a completely different angle.
Talk to a Friend and Record It
Instead of trying to put your thoughts on paper, just hop on Skype or a recorded phone call and talk to a friend.
Talk about whatever topic you wanted to write about. Talk about your views; listen to your friend's views; have a friendly discussion or debate.
Talk as you'd normally talk. Let the ideas flow. After all, nobody has a block when talking to a good friend, right?
Later on, just listen to the recorded conversation and transcribe the best parts. Turn that into the article you were trying to write.
Go for Some Exercise
Exercise gets the blood pumping throughout your body. It gets more oxygen to the brain. A lot of research has been done into the effects of exercise on the brain, and more and more research points to exercise as a method of stimulating mental processes.
Getting exercise can "jolt" you out of writer's block. In fact, you may even come up with great ideas while you're running. But the best time to write is actually right after a workout when the blood that was diverted to your muscles to keep them going comes rushing back to your cerebral cortex.
So if you're feeling stuck, get your body moving. Getting your body moving will help get your brain moving as well. Even just ten to fifteen minutes of aerobic exercise can do the trick.
Just Start Writing
The third way is to just start writing. Write about something you've already written about or something that's been on your mind. Though it's best if it's on topic, write about something completely unrelated if that's what you need to jump-start yourself.
Get in the flow of writing. Get to the point where you're writing quickly, from thought to words on your screen with no filter.
Then switch to writing about the topic you wanted to write about. Writers often find that just by getting themselves in the "state" of writing, they're immediately able to write about their original topic.