When writer’s block hits, it can feel impossible to escape. Even published authors experience writer’s block all the time. Therefore, students of all ages are bound to fall into the writer’s block rut at some point or another, too. As paralyzing as writer’s block can be, there are strategies we can teach students to help them bust through their writer’s block whenever it strikes.
Make sure the problem doesn’t lie elsewhere
Before helping students tackle writer’s block, make sure that it’s actually the issue. Resistance to writing is often caused by an underlying problem unrelated to being “stuck“. When a child faces chronic obstacles with any writing task, not just generating ideas, it’s important to make sure the root cause isn’t something more serious like dysgraphia. Dysgraphia can present in a multitude of ways and it’s not always obvious, so rule this out first.
Offer help
Writing does not always have to be a one-person job! While a student’s writing piece should primarily be theirs, you can provide them with guidance that may get their creativity flowing. This could involve asking questions like “how is the character feeling at this moment?” Or, “if you were in his/her shoes, what would you do next?” Questions like this can help spark ideas for students who can’t decide where their story should go.
Walk away
While this is not always appropriate in the middle of a writer’s workshop, a generally effective strategy for dealing with writer’s block is to simply focus on something else for a period of time, and then come back to it. Writer’s block can sometimes turn into a vicious cycle, where the more an author tries to get out of it, the more stuck they become. It may also help to write about something completely unrelated altogether. If a student is stuck on where to take their story, why not have them free-write about their favorite sport? The more unrelated the topic is, the more refreshed the student will be when they return to the problematic spot.
Read for inspiration
Every single author faces writer’s block at one point or another. The more published an author is, the more likely they are to have experienced tremendous amounts of writer’s block. Reading the writing of other authors, and knowing that they have been in the same boat, not only brings comfort to students facing a frustrating obstacle, but can also provide literary inspiration that just may give the student the idea they need.
“Steamroll Through It”
In an interview with Paul McCartney, his advice on getting through writer’s block is to “steamroll through it, and fix it later.” This strategy can work just as well for any type of writing, not just songwriting. Sometimes, students just can’t settle on an idea. Nothing seems good enough for the high standards they’ve set for themselves. In these cases, the best way for students to move forward is to just write! Have them write down all of the ideas they’ve come up with and then pick the one that they like the most (or that they dislike the least!) Developing authors need to know that they can always change their minds later. Until a book goes to the printing press, stories can always change. That’s what first drafts are for!
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