Overcoming Writer’s Block

Writer’s Block (or colygraphia) is defined as the limited capacity to begin or persist in working on a section or article of writing. The trouble is credited mainly to psychological aspects but might additionally stem from tiredness or lethargy. Recommended remedies include freewriting for a set amount of time, say 15 minutes, doing more reading on unrelated topic, and altering something about the physical surroundings. This definition is taken from the Psychology Dictionary.

All writers suffer from it at one time or another but instead of staring at a seemingly blank and taunting computer screen, one of the most successful methods I’ve found is to start on a different section or chapter. I found this method worked wonders, especially when I was writing my master’s thesis. Writing doesn’t have to occur in order, you just need to keep track of the order. Personally, I’ve found this approach to be far more productive than reading soup can labels.

How do you overcome the frustration of writer’s block?