What to do when you get hit with writers block - Debut

What to do when you get hit with writers block - Debut Writers block. The foul dust that floats in the wake of my dreams, the joy-sucking parasite that pings my career back to square one like a bungee rope As a content creator, writers block is the barrier Ive had to hurdle time and again without respite. Even as a student, there was no escaping it. Weve all been there, havent we? You hold down the backspace key for an eternity. You ball up another piece of paper, Steph Curry it into the wastebasket and draw for yet another clean slate. We all think a fresh start will help ideas flow more freely, but were wrong. This is my 5th attempt at writing this very introduction. But as I prepared to surrender myself to the abyss, consummate in the belief that if I cant write articles I no longer have any purpose in life, I came across  this Guardian column by psychology writer Oliver Burkeman. And it seems that the greatest trick that writers block ever pulled was convincing us that it really exists. The best way to beat writers block is to tell yourself you dont have it No kidding, denial isnt just a river in Egypt. In the piece, Burkeman explains renowned psychologist Paul Sylvias take on the whole thing. That essentially, writers block is nothing more than “a description masquerading as an explanation.” What does that mean exactly? Well, really it means that writers block is all in your head. See, when you give a name to a feeling like so-called writers block, you give that feeling what Sylvia describes as object power. It becomes a solid obstacle that needs agency to overcome as opposed to what it really is: a momentary lapse in creativity that will eventually pass. “People can overthink themselves into deep dark corners, and writer’s block is a good example,” Sylvia says. Hence why its important to not get caught up in the semantics of it all. Heres just a few of the ways you can beat that feeling. Step away.  When you run out of ideas, its so tempting to sit staring at your laptop or notebook, mouth agape, waiting for something genius to come along and fish-slap you in the face. Its actually much better if you let your mind wander away from the task at hand. Thats when the good ideas strike. Read something.  Stimulate your brain with words by reading something, ideally something that has nothing to do with what youre writing about. You never know which word is gonna set off an unstoppable train of thought down Brain Funk Railroad. If you prefer film dialogue or song lyrics instead, be our guest. Write down all your mind trash. Got an idea of what to write but just cant find the right words? Try adopting Anne Lamotts eloquently named Sh*tty First Drafts Method. Write down everything that pops into your head, no matter how formless or nonsensical. You can always edit it down later and there might be some gems among your mental diarrhoea. And importantly, never feel like youre doing this because you have writers block. What that really is, is you just not writing. All it takes is for you to be in the right mental space. Trust me, its all in the mind.  Download Debut  and connect with us  on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.