Break That Writer's Block: Ten Tips To Tap Into Your Creative Muse | Lisa Alzo, Archives

I see a lot of blog posts on breaking writer's block, some quite a bit better than others. And I occasionally post some here. This article caught my attention because it refers to a writer's "creative muse."

Blogger Alzo, at a website about writing family histories, concludes:

Writer's block can hit anyone at any time. You may have a great story to tell, but for a myriad of reasons--fear, anxiety, the end of a project, the beginning of a project, too much information to sort through--you may find yourself frustrated with the writing process. Hopefully, the above suggestions can help you break through whatever is stopping you and you can finally write that family history!

Of course, these tips are useful to people writing other types of documents. Here's a summary of her tips:

Implement a writing schedule and stick to it. ...

Use writing prompts or exercises. Writing exercises can loosen up the mind and get you to write about topics you would never think about otherwise. ...

Set deadlines. ...

Pretend you're telling the story to a favorite aunt. ... Because you're telling a story, you'll start with the most interesting material, give detail where it belongs and end by reinforcing the point you want to make. ...

Remember why you are writing. ... Think about what inspired you to write the story in the first place. ... Sometimes just jotting down key words about what you want to write about also helps.

Read. ...

Utilize technology. ... there [are] a number of apps to help with brainstorming ideas, taking notes, and the writing process. ...

Take a hike. Writer's block could be a sign that your ideas need time to develop. ... 

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You can find other ideas on preventing or defeating this problem in the Writer's Block section of Garbl's Writing Process Links. That site is s an annotated directory of websites that can help you follow the steps in the writing process, such as prewriting, research, drafting, editing, revising, proofreading and publishing.


You might find other inspiration at Garbl's Creativity Resources Online. It's an annotated directory of websites that provide advice for increasing creativity and innovation in your writing, in your personal life, on the job, in school, in the arts and elsewhere. Many of the sites have links to other resources on creativity.