What to Do when You Have Writer's Block

Stumped for Your Next Article or Book - Try These Suggestions

As writer's we sit down at our computer and hope that the words just flow out from our fingertips. But for some of us we have those days, weeks or months that go by and we just can't think of what our next articles, blog, book, etc. will be about.

Where and how does a writer come up with new ideas for their next story? As writers we need to use are imaginations and creativity but sometimes we can just open up our minds a wait for the next subject to enter our thoughts. 

Here are some tips to help with your writer's block:

Read - Whether it is a book, article, or magazine, writer's can get some of their best ideas from reading what other's have written. Maybe you are reading an article about a person or a specific subject turn it around and create your own story about that subject. For instance you are reading about gardening and the article provides tips on gardening, but doesn't go into depth about a certain plant or pruning issues that a gardener may have. You may turn that into an article about having the right soil conditions for your garden or how to prune a certain tree or plant.

Take a walk for inspiration - Go for a walk in your neighborhood or through the woods, to the museum, or a nearby lake. You may see nature, homes, yards, cars, people or other things of interest that may inspire your next book or story. Stop to talk with other people and take add some of their personality to the characters in your story or interview an interesting person for a local article or story.

Look at photos - Take out your photo albums and look at the photos from traveling or even old family photos of past relatives. The travel photos may lead you to write a story about a place you have taken a trip to and the old family photos may even give you an idea for a book based on an interesting relative life.

Go Shopping - The stores are filled with great products and the latest gadgets for you to look at. People are always looking for advice on what to buy especially in the area of consumer electronics and computers. Ask questions and gain some knowledge in an area you are interested in and write articles about that subject.