If you’re struggling a bit with writer’s block stay calm and take a deep breath. You’re in good company and you certainly won’t be the first or last writer to hit a few creative bumps on the road to artistic brilliance! Everyone struggles from blank paper syndrome now and again. Whether working on a novel, song lyrics or scriptwriting for film, there’s several clever tips to help get those creative juices flowing again!
1. Drop What You’re Doing
The first thing to do is step away from the keyboard for a little while. Do something else creative that you like; maybe pick up the guitar and play a few songs, if you’re into photography head out with your camera, do some image editing in photoshop or maybe listen to a bit of music on Spotify! Moving to something else can help clear your head and kick-start your creativity. Keeping that creative muscle active is important and you’ll slip comfortably back into the flow of writing in time.
2. Keep Active
Keeping fit is a good thing in general to help your creativity but if you’re having a little bit of difficulty in writing fruitfully – get yourself moving. Head down to the gym or swimming pool for a bit of a work out or pop out for a run or cycle. If that sounds to energetic, just take a walk – plenty of respected writers are known for taking a walk before sitting down to write. And lots of studies have shown that regular exercise can help boost creativity.
3. Get Social
Meet and chat with other writers and you’ll soon see you’re not alone. By getting to know other writers you’ll learn how they overcome the problem and can you help each other out. If you can try, work on a something together with another writer where you can bounce ideas around. This can be really good for scriptwriting to get things moving again!
4. Write Anything that Comes to Mind
Think of this like your warm up exercise. Maya Angelou said “What I try to do is write. I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat.’ And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come.”
Don’t worry about grammar or punctuation mistakes and don’t be too fussy, just aim to go for 15 – 20 minutes and get the words on the page. Allow it to flow naturally and you can be random – ideas are born with writing so the more you write the more ideas you’re going to have.
5. Routine
Set up a routine and stick to it. Many writers find they are more creative in the morning but we’re all different so find the best time that suits you and stick to it. High quality creative writing takes discipline and having a daily routine will help you make this achievable.
6. Write First
This is our last little tip for today! How often do we turn on the computer and check our emails or check our phones while the computer starts?? Nearly every time for most people. Checking your emails or social media before you start can overwhelm your mind causing you to be less creative. We all know it can be difficult but try to keep the distractions to a minimum!
Scriptwriting Tips at Pulse College
Interested in picking up some more scriptwriting tips and how to become a better writer? Pulse offer scripting & screenwriting courses. Pick up some excellent tips and get to know other writers. Take a read through to course content to get a better feel of the areas covered and if you need more information we hold regular open events – why not pop in for a chat?!
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