JF Jenkins Guest Post

This guest post was brought to you by JF Jenkins and Astraea Press.

Just Keep Writing

Writer's block is one of the hardest things to get through. Everyone has their different tricks and techniques, and it's probably the most common question I get asked. Other writers and non-writers are desperate to know. Here's a small list of things I do every time I hit that block.

1)      I ask myself why I am hitting the block. Is it because I don't know what's happening next in the story, or simply because I'm bored with what I'm writing? Because sometimes a writer does get bored of a scene, particularly when it's an uninteresting piece of explanation rather than action or drama.

2)      Once I figure out why I'm blocked, I lay down and take a nap. Okay, half the time I don't actually sleep. Sometimes I use the nap as an excuse to have a quiet place where I can think and visualize my story.

3)      If that doesn't do the trick, then I'll go for a walk. This is where I get my writing music. I don't listen to anything when I'm actually working, but when I'm plotting I tend to break out all sorts of different songs to get the mood going.

4)      Sometimes I play a game just to give my brain a break because it will get tired when I'm working too hard.

5)      I'll ask myself if I'm pushing my goals too much. Unreasonable deadlines are a great cause of writer's block.

6)      I have to keep writing. That's my motto: Just keep writing. Kind of like Dori from “Finding Nemo”. Just keep writing. Just keep writing. Just keep writing, writing. Because that's the best way out of the block, breaking through.