Tag Archives: creativity

A Simple Exercise To Kill Writer’s Block

freelance-writing

I still don’t believe in writer’s block per se. I’ve written other screeds about this, and in a nutshell while I believe it’s possible to work yourself to the point of burnout, I think as long as you can physically use your brain, you don’t have “writer’s block”.

The key is to physically walk away from your work when the ideas won’t come that second. Take a break and just let it sit for a while.

If you find you still can’t write when you get back to the computer, try this little trick:

Write a paragraph about your writer’s block. Describe the circumstances you were working under when you ran out of ideas and in as much detail as you can manage, write about the symptoms you’re currently experiencing. Make it a complete thought–beginning, middle, and end. Then walk away and have lunch, coffee, whatever. Come back in an hour. Chances are you’ll be able to get back to your original project.

Some pepole have to walk away for the rest of the day, and if you can afford to do that, more power to you. Writer’s block is often a symptom of overwork, burnout and putting far too much thought into the project and not letting yourself simply WRITE. Step away from the infernal machine (your computer) for a while and recharge.

Top Ten Uses For Rejection Letters

Rejection letters are great, aren’t they? I remember getting one from the Slamdance Film Festival for a short subject film submission I sent way back in 2002. Now that’s a strange one to write about in context of freelance writing, but it was one of the first rejection letters I actually put up as a badge of pride. “See? I TRIED!”

It stayed on my refrigerator for two years. Then one day I spilled some coffee and I looked at that damn thing and decided that its time had come, especially since I had just run out of paper towels.

But there are actually plenty of uses for rejection letters besides the obvious. If you are struggling, maybe a little discouraged and fed up with all the trees being killed to tell you that you aren’t wanted at Publication X Inc, try these cathartic recycling methods to put those rejection slips to good use.

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