Beating or Joining Writer's Block

I watched a movie last night where an author was experiencing writer's block. She did everything from painting, to getting on her treadmill to performing an African dance, just to get her head back in the game. I can't say that I'm quite as exuberant when it comes to overcoming writer's block, but I do try a number of things to clear my mind.

Watching television can either be a help or a hindrance for me. If I'm trying to write, I need to shut it off so I can concentrate. But television or a movie does provide a nice break when I need it, and sometimes it can even feed me new ideas for plots or characters.

Sometimes I turn to my arts and crafts. I make different items like magnets and pendants using my own abstract art. I also create unique designs for t-shirts and the like, for writers, horse-lovers and more. Sketching is something I enjoy as well. Doing these creative activities gets me away from my book, but still keeps my brain active.

Having a flower garden provides me with a nice quiet outlet when needed. While pulling weeds can be somewhat of an annoyance, spending time outside in the fresh air helps me relax. Taking pictures of my flowers is fun as well, and again, it gives me something creative to do away from my writing.

Stress doesn't help my writing at all, so on those particularly hard days, a good physical workout can do the trick. Being involved in martial arts gives me many things to work on both mentally and physically and hitting a punching bag can often help relieve general stress.

There are a million and one things that a writer can do to get their mind back in the game, but sometimes writer's block persists no matter what we try. When those times occur, I try to allow myself to set my book aside and move on to something else until the creativity gets a jump start again. There have been times when my writer's block has lasted a few hours. Other times, it has lasted six months or more. While I try many different things to help keep my mind clear and concentrate on my book, I know that there are times when I need to sit back and allow the plot to simmer, knowing that the end result will be better if I let it be written in its own time.