We’ve all been there at one point, when you write an article and have no idea on what to write about, or maybe you have been writing an article and have no idea what to say in your next paragraph. That is the phenomenon known as Writer’s Block. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says it’s “a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece”. And quite frankly, it sucks.
I feel pretty frustrated when I get writer’s block, I want to write something and when I can’t think of anything it’s rather annoying. Especially as a guy who is a journalist or wants to be one, I am constantly trying to think of ideas for articles to write about.
What are some ways to prevent writer’s block? Personally, I have a calendar. I will organize all my ideas into a list and then spread them out over time to be able to write and make content over time. I always try my best to write it down. A lot of times I totally forget about topics and if I write it down I can find it later and write about it. I ideally would like to spend 5-6 days working on an 800-1000 word essay and I can post it on the 7th, so every week I can publish 1 new article.
Another way to get past writer’s block for me is by not doing anything actually. If I can’t think of anything in that moment, the chances of me still thinking of anything is low to none. I’ll leave and focus on something else to do or think about to kind of reset and refresh my mind and I will come back to it later. The way my mind works is everyday I think about something new. There is never a day where I think about what I thought about yesterday. I never remember that. And so hopefully 30 minutes later I can come back and start writing again. Sometimes it will come when I’m not thinking of anything, sometimes it will come when I am writing about another topic. For example, I was writing about the most underrated baseball players at every position, and while writing I realized I could do the opposite; the most overrated baseball player at every position. It all will come at some point.
In conclusion, writer’s block sucks, but you can overcome it. New ideas are the key to journalists’ success, and without them, they have nothing to write about.
