{"id":52050,"date":"2017-09-06T21:12:42","date_gmt":"2017-09-07T05:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=52050"},"modified":"2017-09-12T14:08:41","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T22:08:41","slug":"how-to-overcome-writers-block-and-rediscover-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-overcome-writers-block-and-rediscover-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Overcome Writer\u2019s Block and Rediscover Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/p>\n

You\u2019re staring at that screen.<\/p>\n

Nothing\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re checking, let\u2019s see, email, Facebook, you go back to that empty word file.
\nNow, the negative self-talk begins.<\/p>\n

Anxiety-You have to finish, and you haven\u2019t even started.<\/p>\n

Self-Critic-Why in the world did you ever agree to this?<\/p>\n

Fun Guy-Tomorrow, Next Week, Next Year, anytime but now\u2019s looking pretty good at this point.<\/p>\n

The Angry Beast-Time to Pound the Keyboard.<\/p>\n

Just Stop.<\/p>\n

Pay yourself that penny, note your thoughts.<\/p>\n

Breathe.<\/p>\n

Gone to the Dark Writer Web?<\/p>\n

Someone might laugh at what you write.<\/p>\n

Someone might be angry at what you write.<\/p>\n

Someone might criticize your writing as \u201cbad\u201d.<\/p>\n

Perhaps NO ONE will read what you write.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get back to the light.<\/p>\n

1-Wake Up!<\/h1>\n

Wake up in the Buddhist sense of being present.<\/p>\n

Are you breathing from your chest?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a sure sign of anxiety.<\/p>\n

Send all your breath out of you with a calm and patient hiss until you have no more breath.<\/p>\n

Now, when you are empty of breath, your abdomen will have no choice but to fill with breath.<\/p>\n

Feel your abdomen fill, and breathe from there, filling up slowly.<\/p>\n

Repeat.<\/p>\n

Close your eyes, and watch your mind.<\/p>\n

When it\u2019s empty, keep that abdominal breath going, and see yourself typing happily.<\/p>\n

Vigorous exercise BEFORE a writing session is also one of the best ways I know to restore your healthy instincts.<\/p>\n

2-Disinvest in Whatever\u2019s Right in Front of You<\/h1>\n

Odds are, you\u2019re stuck, because some part of you is invested too heavily emotionally in whatever you\u2019re working on.<\/p>\n

What does that mean?<\/p>\n

It means you\u2019re not using your assets to write, you\u2019re using the credit card of expecting someone else\u2019s approval to be successful.<\/p>\n

You need to relax and consider why this piece of writing is so important to you. Does it mean you won\u2019t have to put on clothes ever again in the morning?<\/p>\n

Do you expect traffic on a major highway to all pull off to the side when you appear just because of this one piece?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the biggest one of all. Do you think people will approve of you, or you\u2019ll approve of yourself because you write this?<\/p>\n

Get real.<\/p>\n

How much weight are you putting on this item? More than it can possibly satisfy?<\/p>\n

Time to get in touch with all those impossible outcomes, talk with someone else, or best of all, with yourself. Write down what you expect, see if you expect too much, and let go those expectations without self-criticism. Accept those expectations, and let them go.<\/p>\n

3-Create Something Else in the Short Term or Turn to Another Language<\/h1>\n

One of the most effective ways I know to restore your playful and creative writing instincts is to do something else creative to relax the pressure you are putting on doing this one writing project.<\/p>\n

How?<\/p>\n

Write something else, make it fun, make it a product of giving yourself the permission to write something wacky, private, and lousy, as long as you enjoy it.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another interesting way to relax back into your creative instincts:<\/p>\n

Play some music.<\/p>\n

Read aloud pretending you\u2019re on stage.<\/p>\n

If you know another language, spend an hour speaking and our writing in it, so that you disinvest that \u201cstake\u201d in that single writing project that you\u2019re stuck on.<\/p>\n

4-Permission and Approval<\/h1>\n

Remind yourself that you aren\u2019t what you write, no matter how good or bad it is.<\/p>\n

Remind yourself you\u2019re a human being, not a human doing.<\/p>\n

Remind yourself that you will always win by failing, even if your eventual success doesn\u2019t show up right away.<\/p>\n

Channel your ideal reader. Make sure you have an ideal reader, the person whose image you can summon at will, someone you know, or someone you\u2019ve made up, who loves you and is excited about your writing, no matter what.<\/p>\n

5-Enlist your Brain<\/h1>\n

Pretend by sending yourself a congratulatory email that you\u2019ve finished this challenging project and are ready for something new, then, without thinking,
\ndive right into what\u2019s been giving you trouble.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve now gotten your brain to help you bring about the outcome it already informed you of.<\/p>\n

Writer\u2019s Block is just another expression for a kind of self-imposed prison.<\/p>\n

When you rediscover the joy of writing, you\u2019ve simply set yourself free.<\/p>\n

Write, rejoice in your creativity, and let your fingers dance across the keys as you soar to new heights.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a writer, there\u2019s no greater self-kindness than liberation.<\/p>\n

Be Free.<\/p>\n

\n

Lars Nielsen has decades of experience helping individuals and businesses discover and share their core message. Whatever your message or audience, grab his “Make YOUR Message Matter Cheat Sheet<\/a>” and put his time-tested techniques to work immediately.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019re staring at that screen. Nothing\u2019s happening. You\u2019re checking, let\u2019s see, email, Facebook, you go back to that empty word file. Now, the negative self-talk begins. Anxiety-You have to finish, and you haven\u2019t even started. Self-Critic-Why in the world did … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11620,"featured_media":52072,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[45,6,23],"tags":[6203,66,4629,6204,923],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Overcome Writer\u2019s Block and Rediscover Freedom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you stuck with Writer's Block? 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