5 tips for overcoming writer’s block

Whether you're working toward being the next Margaret Atwood, writing a heartfelt donor appeal letter or simply writing in a journal, writer’s block happens to all of us at some point. It can be frustrating, especially when you’re on a deadline and feel you have a million priorities on your to-do list. 

Copywriting is at the heart of what we do, and over the years, we’ve learned a number of strategies for overcoming writer’s block. Some days, one approach may work better than another. And if we’re being honest, sometimes the solution is to give it up and try again another day with a fresh perspective. 

Here are our favourite tips and tricks when we struggle with writer’s block. Hopefully, one will be the perfect solution for you! 

Just start writing. First drafts are meant to be rough, so let your ideas flow freely, and your fingers take over the keyboard. Simply writing with no expectations or guidelines can be helpful as it eliminates the pressure for perfection many writers place themselves under. So, if that blog post draft ends up being 500 words more than planned, don’t worry. It’s only a first draft, and you can refine it during the editing process.

Write what’s familiar. Start back with the basics, even if you don’t need to write all that often; write about what interests you. For our team, that often means going back to the “why” of a project — why is it important, and why do you want to convey a specific message to the audience? Write what feels natural to you, whether that’s a paragraph, sentence or even a few words. This will, once again, eliminate the pressure for perfection and bring you back to what made you fall in love with your work in the first place. And if you’re a little stuck, try prompting yourself with a reminder about why you love what you do or why this work is important to you. These reflections will help focus your writing so your audience better understands. 

Change your scenery. Are you sitting in the same chair at the same desk day after day? For some people, that’s not stimulating enough to spark creativity. Humans crave stability and consistency, but we need to occasionally push ourselves out of our comfort zones to experience new things and give our minds new information to process. So, consider switching locations to write; you may be surprised by how your mind reacts to a new environment and information. This is founder Deborah Evans’ favourite trick when fighting writer’s block. When it’s time to be creative, it’s not unusual to find her curled up on a couch with her laptop, sitting in her backyard, or driving to a local coffee shop to change up the scenery and the mood. 

Eliminate distractions. Our minds are working machines, so in moments set aside for quiet writing time, it’s easy to think about that email you need to follow up on, the meeting notes you need to prepare or the team chat notification you just received. Blocking distractions can be challenging, but setting yourself up for success is the first step in the right direction. Set your phone to do not disturb, set a productivity timer, pause all notifications on your laptop, or even move your phone to another room to eliminate temptation. Choose a workspace that is clean and free of distractions so that when your mind does begin to wander (and it likely will), it’s not faced with anything that will draw away your attention.

Give yourself a break. Sometimes, it’s important to acknowledge that tips and tricks aren’t what you need and that your body and mind are trying to tell you something. If that’s the case, take a break and try again another time. Even though taking a break may seem last on your priority list with fast-approaching deadlines, you’d be surprised how much quicker you work with a refreshed mind. Especially for work that requires creativity, like what we do here at Luminate, sometimes stepping away lets you see things with a fresh perspective so you can produce even better work. Whether you take a short break or do another task on your to-do list and come back to it later or the next day, sometimes stepping away can be the most helpful tip.

While writer’s block may feel defeating when you have it, remember that you’re not alone. Hopefully, these tips will help get your mind back on track. Happy writing!