Writer’s block or low self-confidence can strike the best of us at any time, and they can both be as much trouble for content writers as for authors. The good news is, feeling stuck or uncertain is only temporary, and rather than sitting and waiting for the feelings to pass, you can work through them and get writing again.

Here are some ideas to try to reignite your creative spark. You might also find this post helpful.

Writing Tips

1. Start a notebook and jot down things that interest you. As you go about your day, make a note of a conversation you overhear or a funny scene – this can trigger an idea for a blog post, an article or even something for your novel.

2. If you prefer to be inspired by visual cues, start a scrapbook instead. You can have a virtual version if you like, by using Evernote as an app on your smartphone (it syncs with your computer) and use it to store pictures, news snippets or cartoon strips and organise and reorganise as you go.

3. Write about something ordinary. Describe your commute to the office, the big supermarket shop or anything that you do on autopilot. Paying attention to your surroundings and picking out details encourages you to write, and can trigger an idea to come back to later.

4. Write whatever comes into your head. Free-writing is a great exercise to start you off again if you’ve got writer’s block or in need of new idea. One technique is to put a word or concept into the centre of the page and allow ideas to spider out from there – it could be a colour, a news item, a characteristic or a business technique.

[ctt template=”3″ link=”iuDfH” via=”yes” ]Everyone suffers from writer\’s block, but there are some simple tricks you can use to overcome it.[/ctt]

5. Make a to-do list. If you’re writing a blog or series of blogs, note down who you need to speak to, what research to do and if you need images and permission to use them. If you’re writing a book, think of character development, scenes and sub-plots, and again, if there’s research required. Just creating the list can give you ideas.

Other Writing Strategies

6. Allocate a specific time of day or week when you’ll write and choose somewhere comfortable. Make this a habit and allow your thoughts to wander.

7. Keep old notebooks and go back to them at a later date. You may come across a sentence or sketch that you noted in passing that you can see the potential in now you’ve come back to it.

8. Find other writers to talk to. Look on Twitter or find a forum, and get chatting. Or if you’re a bit shy, do an internet search for interviews with your favourite author or business expert, and see where they get their ideas.

9. Take some time out to see what others are doing. Try not to view other writers as competition but celebrate their success. What did they do to get there? Even if you write articles you can still get ideas from fiction writers, such as tips on self-publishing or finding an editor.

10. Have a rest and do something else – go for a walk, read a book or visit a gallery. Alternatively, sit down somewhere peaceful, close your eyes and drift away, letting your mind go blank. We all need a break once in a while, no matter what we do!