By Gloria Kopp

Trouble combating writer’s block? For many, fear is a primary cause of writer’s block. You may be afraid of failure, and that others will judge your writing. It is not uncommon for writers to strive for perfection, but nothing is never perfect on the first try. To overcome this, take any criticisms as means to improve. They may hurt at first, but your writing will be better for it.

Tip 1: Freewriting

Freewriting liberates your mind of writing prompts and deadlines. Spend 15 minutes or more each day writing whatever comes to your mind. It should be random, and you can change topics every few minutes. Freewriting is a great way to train your brain to tap into the words that you cannot seem to get out, and gives them a ‘place to live.’

Tip 2: Write Early in the Morning

Not everyone is a morning person, but rising early to write is well worth it. When you first wake up, your brain is in Theta mode, which is the brainwave pattern your mind is in while dreaming. You will be amazed to see what comes out when you are half-asleep.

Tip 3: Write While You Sleep

Dream about writing. Your subconscious is always solving problems and running through scenarios. Write a half an hour before bed, and go to bed while the words are still fresh in your mind. You may just find the solution to your writer’s block and fall back into writing with ease.

Tip 4: Move Your Body

When your body moves, your mind follows. If you have had trouble relaxing, yoga or meditation may greatly benefit you. Focus and open your mind, and step away from your writing to take care of your physical self. If you cannot take care of yourself, your writing can never improve.

Tip 5: Always Carry a Notebook

Inspiration does not always come to us while we sit at our desk – we may be grocery shopping, or in the middle of our work day. Keeping a notebook nearby or a writing application on your smartphone to jot down ideas that come up at inconvenient moments. You should never have to sacrifice a great idea because you are not near a computer.

Tip 6: Eliminate Distraction

Allowing distraction is a common mistake for writers who feel backed up. These days, it is easy to get lost in Social Media, or in a television show. By eliminating these distractions, you can increase the power of your focus, and time spent writing will become more effective.

Tip 7: Take a Break

It can be only too easy to work for hours, to work deep into the night and lose sleep for days. Writing, whether due to passion or closing deadlines, can be immersive. However, as human beings, you will need a break from time to time. Do something else that is creative. Do something else that you love. Paint, exercise, or simply watch a film – let your mind rest.

Useful Tools for Combating Writer’s Block

There are online resources available to help fight writer’s block. Using these tools and resources can help to boost both productivity and motivation for and overcome writer’s block. Here are some great online editing and writing tools:

– NowNovel helps you to finally get around to writing that great novel.

– Paper Fellows is a great writing community where writers can find inspiration and other advice.

– Ox Essays is another writing tool that will help to generate ideas and bring inspiration.

– Zen Pen is a minimalist writing zone to truly block out all distractions. A blank space is provided for you to write freely.

– Trello is a great way to share both ideas and writing with your team.

– Big Assignments has an editing team with decades of experience in their respective fields for trusted writing advice.

– Flux adapts your screen’s lighting to the time of day to create a better writing environment.

– The team at Academized loves to help students create a more professional writing voice. l

– Easy Word Count will quickly and accurately keep up with word limits.

There are plenty of editing and writing tools out there to help you improve your writing. There is no reason that you cannot succeed, and no shortage of opportunities to do so.

Gloria Kopp is a web content writer and an elearning consultant from Manville city. She graduated from University of Wyoming and started a career of a business writer, now she works as a blog editor at Resumention. Besides, she is a regular contributor to such websites as Engadget, Huffingtonpost etc.