Writing a best-selling book is a daunting task. Not only do you have to finish it, but you feel like you have to deliver excellence on every page.
It’s such a huge responsibility that it’s easy for anyone to become paralyzed by fear. Your mind shuts down, and you can’t think of another word to write.
It’s called writer’s block.
The good news is every author in the world deals with it, and the web is full of useful tips for beating it. I’ve collected the best of them for you here, to help you whenever you’re battling the blank screen.
Hack Your Way Out Of Writer’s Block - Includes My Personal Favorite: Talk to a Monkey
Creativity on Speed - Don’t Give Yourself Time to Think
Breaking through Writers Block- Interesting and Humorous Take by John Warner
7 Rules for Maximizing Your Creative Output - Enter a Creative Flow State
Battling Bloggers Block- Advice from One of the Most Prolific Writers on the Web
101 Ways to Brew up a Great Idea - Fantastic List. Once You Have an Idea, the Rest Is Easy
Why Dave Barry and Liz Don’t Get Writer’s Block - Good Writing Is Almost Always Hard
Introducing the A*I*D*A Formula for Blogging - Use a Formula to Guide Your Writing
Breaking a Writing Block - What Writer’s Block Really Means and What to Do about It
Real Creativity - Creativity is more than ideas. It’s hard work. (From Seth Godin)
Hacks for Writing: Starting - Are You Afraid of Writing Crap?
Why You Should Always Write Your Headline First - Start with a Great Headline
Writing Prompts to Awaken the Muse - Get Started with a Writing Prompt
Overcoming Writer’s Block - Very Insightful List of Techniques from a Truly Creative Person
Show up - 80% of Conquering Writer’s Block Is Sitting down to Do It
How to Survive Creative Burnout - What to Do When It’s Worse Than Writer’s Block
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February 10th, 2007 at 10:36 am
[…] Jon Morrow hits it big with How to Conquer Writer’s Block – The Ultimate Guide. We may have to put a moratorium on “Ultimate Guides” soon, but they sure do seem to work, don’t they? […]
February 10th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Wow, what a great post! There’s a lot of great material here. Thanks for putting it all together.
Although it’s aimed at a more academic audience, I’ve also enjoyed advice by Robert Boice in his book “Professors as Writers.” I’ve found the technique of contingency management to be really helpful. I’ve written about how it works in this post: One simple technique to help you overcome procrastination and start writing now.
I’ve also just picked up Boice’s book called “How Writers Journey to Comfort and Fluency.” This seems aimed at a broader audience of writers, though it’s a lot denser than “Professors” (and quite expensive; try to find it at a university library if you can).
February 10th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
[…] I have several Bibliophilic articles in production, but meanwhile here’s the ultimate guide to conquering writer’s clock, which is a collection of inspirational links. The good news is every author in the world deals with it, and the web is full of useful tips for beating it. I’ve collected the best of them for you here, to help you whenever you’re battling the blank screen. […]
February 10th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
I’ve found through coaching people with writer’s block that the best method for blasting through it totally depends on the person and his particular personality type. I’ve written about how people can get exercises and ideas tailored to their personality type. One post talks about introverts vs extroverts and the other talks about learning style.
Thanks for the list you’ve compiled, Jon. These will be great additional resources for my coaching practice.
February 11th, 2007 at 8:16 am
[…] Jon Morrow at BestSellerInterviews.com has posted a list of articles from best-selling authors who share their personal strategies for conquering writer’s block. […]
February 11th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
[…] This little tid bit comes from the “Best Seller Interviews” blog. Jon Morrow brainstorms these jewels for your delictation, musing and general enjoyment. Oh, come on! It’s a great read! Writing a best-selling book is a daunting task. Not only do you have to finish it, but you feel like you have to deliver excellence on every page. […]
February 13th, 2007 at 7:42 am
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February 14th, 2007 at 3:31 am
[…] It’s probably true that anyone who writes deals with writer’s block from time to time. But what do you do when it comes knocking on your door? Or worse, when it makes itself at home, follows you to your office and sits on your lap all day? Well, Bestseller Interviews has put together The Ultimate Guide to Conquering Writer’s Block. And they should know. Bestseller Interviews covers “Best Selling Authors and How to Write Best Selling Books.” So if anyone would know how to deal with writer’s block, they should. […]
February 16th, 2007 at 3:19 am
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February 16th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
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February 19th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
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February 19th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
[…] Jon Morrow hits it big with How to Conquer Writer’s Block – The Ultimate Guide. We may have to put a moratorium on “Ultimate Guides” soon, but they sure do seem to work, don’t they? […]
February 22nd, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Thanks for this great resource which I’ll use for songwriters as well. Also, writer’s blocks can come from the Inner Critic voice…good to listen to it when it is productive. Also good to send the Inner Critic for a brief vacation…meaning that it’s good to just write whatever comes to us and not worry so much about quality, how much time to takes or how much money we think we’ll earn from our writing. Then later go back to glean the best.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:01 am
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May 23rd, 2007 at 4:02 am
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May 29th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
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July 25th, 2007 at 4:16 am
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December 17th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
[…] When You Can’t Get Started and How to Conquer Writer’s Block — The Ultimate Guide Writer’s block. The good news is every author in the world deals with it, and the web is full of useful tips for beating it. I’ve collected the best of them for you here, to help you whenever you’re battling the blank screen. […]
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