First Aid For Writer's Block

Stuck? Not for long when you try these remedies for
creativity on call.

1. Go somewhere else. One of my clients hops a train
whenever she has a deadline and writes on board.

2. Freewrite. Right this second, copy the following
starter phrase and keep writing nonstop wherever it leads
you: "What I really want to say in this piece is..."

3. Change your medium. If you've been stuck writing at the
computer, sit down with a pad of paper or even a grocery
bag. If you've been trying with a pen, try crayons.

4. Take a rest. Sometimes you're just trying too hard.
Sleep on it and in the morning you'll feel in the mood for a
fresh start.

5. Write something else. If you're hung up on something
for work, write something for pleasure or vice versa.

6. Talk it out. Call a friend and tell her what you would
say in writing if you could. When it's flowing, hang up the
phone and continue on the computer.

7. Repeat prior successes. Remember how you successfully
started or completed something earlier in your life, and
reuse that strategy.

8. Do it wrongly. Try writing your piece very badly. You
may find you've created a halfway decent version with hardly
any effort.

9. Start typing any old thing. Someone in one of my
seminars got started every morning by typing the Gettysburg
Address ("Four score and seven years ago..."). Before the
end, she'd always segue into what she really wanted to
write.

10. Visualize. Close your eyes and imagine your book or
report completed, with a beautiful cover. In your mind's
eye, open it and begin reading. Write down what it says.