Banish the Blank Page: Dealing with Writer's Block

Writer’s block is essentially a mixture of procrastination and distraction, which leads to lack of new ideas.

The way I get back in the grove is to mull ideas around in my head for a while, otherwise I just sit gaping at a blank page, which is no good for the soul.

Once an idea is in place, I get on and write. Focus is the main thing. To keep going with the smallest of an idea can blossom into something unexpected.

For example, in 2017 I needed to come up with two new short stories for one of my MA creative writing assignments. I was stuck for ideas for a few days until remembering a scene I had in mind for a novel that I ended up not writing.

I thought this would be flash fiction, maybe 300 words max, but the germ of an idea grew, with the two featured characters “taking over”, improving the story. When I needed to stop for the day it had topped 800 words and it still wasn’t finished.

In short, when experiencing writer’s block, I leave the blank page alone, think long and hard, and when the slightest of an idea presents itself, I get on and write and see where it takes me.