Writer's Block: Have You Seen My Idea?

By Jackie Damrau

We all experience at some point losing our train of thought when we are deep in the throes of writing that user manual, training manual, or speech. How do you get back on track? Sometimes it calls for creative measures from within us. Sometimes we just have to walk away, down the hall, or around the building; or visit with a co-worker. Some of us have memory-jogging toys at our disposal, such as stress balls or pliable stretchy Gumby's and Pokey's (okay, I'm dating myself here).

Digging through some boxes in my closet recently, I uncovered 19 ways of stirring creativity and eliminating writer's block, from a newsletter workshop that I attended almost 10 years ago. Here are those 19 ways:

1. Write a letter.
2. Write random thoughts.
3. Think outrageous thoughts.
4. Talk it over.
5. Do something out of character to release the tension.
6. Read something.
7. Go to a seminar….
8. Steal (Borrow, Adapt).
9. Tell the story into a tape recorder.
10. Start at the end.
11. List all the facts.
12. Peruse the 100 story ideas. (Author Note: Ideas not included in this article.)
13. Think of an analogy or metaphor.
14. Build a tickler file for just these moments.
15. Think of secrets, inside stories or how-to angles.
16. Doodle.
17. List 10 frequently asked questions about the subject.
18. List all the good things you do.
19. Write one good reason the reader should read this story.

How do you break your writer's block? Do you do anything amusing? Share with us your methods of getting the mind train back on track when it just derails for the day.

Source: Pretzer, M., & Blum, S. (1990). Newsletter: Tips, Formats, Shortcuts and Improvements, John Williams (ed.).