What are some strategies for overcoming writer's block on a deadline?

My tricks to get past "writer's block:" 1) Write something more difficult than the "blocked" assignment. This makes the blocked assignment seem like smooth sailing. 2) Write something much easier than the "blocked" assignment. Sometimes you can build momentum this way. An email to a friend or a quick social media post usually serves. 3) If those tricks don't work, try my secret weapon: Pick up a pen in your non-dominant hand (i.e., left hand if you're right-handed; right hand if you're left-handed), and draw something. Try to draw a cartoon character from memory (I sometimes use Bart Simpson or Wilma from the Flintstones). It's a difficult, yet pointless, challenge, and the results are hilarious. I don't know why it works, but it does.

While studying at IISc, Prof. CM (Statistics professor) used to tell us that if we consistently write one sentence per day, by the second year end we will have something significant to complete the research proposal. And continuing this further for another 2 years will complete the thesis. But the main point to write everyday is to sustain the curiosity, coherence, reflection and also doing the actual research work before writing it. Writing is a more structured way of thinking. What worked for me personally was writing first drafts everyday morning, and reworking it through the day. Doing research is only half the work, if I am unable to communicate it clearly, then there is no point in doing it.

If you're stuck on the beginning, start at the end. If you're stuck on the end, end with a quote. Most importantly, write down what you know. The rest will come.

I have been writing since the age of 11, and yet, at 29, finding the headspace to write is a struggle. The biggest obstacle is constant external stimulation that keeps us busy, creating a wall between us and our ability to think, feel, observe, pause - and collect all of that to put it on paper. I strongly recommend boredom as a practice to be able to write more often. If you sit with yourself without distractions for even 15 minutes, you will want to say or share something. That spark is the perfect opportunity to channel it into a string of sentences. Sometimes they can make sense, and you can put it out there, sometimes, they are completely nonsensical, and the outcome does not matter.

Three words: Lower. Your. Standards. Don't try to write something perfect, just try to write something good. If good is the best you can do in that moment, get it down, then maybe go back and tweak, edit, rewrite — whatever you need to do to be satisfied with the sentence/paragraph/passage/piece.

When I am feeling stuck, I have found it helpful to read an article or a chapter in a book to spark inspiration. Listening to an audio book for a bit, or a podcast on a relevant topic, can get my creative juices flowing.

When I am uninspired, I go back and read my work. I identify gaps and try to fill them with my fresh perspective. Another thing that really helps me is listening to spoken word poetry because of the emotions it provokes in me. I also find social media content, especially visuals, to drain out my inspiration because of their usual trend-following ways - so I keep myself away from it. And I try to focus on the bodily sensations - the feeling in my stomach, the heaviness on my shoulders or the sound at a distance, my breath - they help me find my way back to something original stuck inside my ribcage to come out - either with force or just with ease serendipitously.

I've been doing a podcast for the last two years. Let's Fix Education. I wasn't sure I could be punctual week after week. So far I have not missed a deadline. I want to do it. I intend to do it. So I push myself across the finish line. Most of my career I played computer chess or computer scrabble, to have a break. The computer allows you to set the speed and the difficulty. That way I could have a very intense break, 5 or 10 minutes. Now I use YouTube, looking quickly at lots of snippets, interesting things that take my mind off the actual project.

On a recent freelance job with a hyper-tight deadline some smart Googling around the challenge (famous people involved in certain London buildings over the centuries) helped generate ideas which I could then flesh out myself; two or three of those helped finish the pieces, at least for the next iteration/edit.

In my experience, Research is very imperative. Even in creative writing or poetry of any sort, sometimes you get stuck with how to properly articulate the idea or flow in your head. When you research, it opens you up to diverse perspectives and expressions. You can then draw from that to create your own unique content. It just opens you up to a new universe

Routines don't always work in creativity, but showing up really does. One of my mother's lessons is to build a habit of sitting at one place to work as a discipline - even when you do not think you have any work to finish, you start to remember things you were supposed to complete. That works for writing, too. On some days, you have to show up. So come, read, or not read, stimulate, or close your eyes, or watch a musician play their instrument on youtube, and then, eventually, when your mind has wandered enough - sit still. You will notice that you will reconnect with your words when you are through the wall.

Take a walk. Listen to music. Go out for some fresh air. Talk to people. Laugh a little. Watch some videos. Do anything that can take your mind off from work for a while and you will find yourself in a better situation.

For me, the biggest contributor to writer's block is perfectionism. And perfectionism is nothing more than "just fear in fancy shoes", as one of my favourite authors, Elizabeth Gilbert, said. To overcome this fear of failure, I find it helpful to: - Meditate on WHAT I want to say and WHY - Do research - Start with an outline, then fill in the blanks - Leave enough time for editing Another handy #hack: Changing the colour or font can help you get a new perspective. For me, writing is ultimately a practice and a craft. It can be an art, but for me the most important thing is that I don't take myself too seriously as a writer, but see myself as a person who is doing a service to others by providing certain information or inspiration.

It was lateral thinker, Edward De Bono who encouraged us to view a problem, a blockage, an idea from a different angle - but a change of environment is not simply a perspective, but rather a new physical, or new relationship place. The blockage is an inability to express, which maybe because a friendship no longer works, or a room or building is no longer fit for the purpose of creation. Divorce or Feng Shui, the relationship and or physical space in which we work, directly affects my ability to create - I don't think I am untypical. In either event, it's time to move, to seek new horizons, new spaces, and climates, as one solution to a blockage to creativity and writing

Go for a walk and hug a tree! Honestly, nothing beats distractions like some time spent with Mother Nature's bounty. Even if you have a small houseplant, just sit with it for 10-15 minutes -- this helps bring about a meditative, empty state of mind. When your cogs are running fast but going nowhere, slowing them down (or even stopping them!) and a bit of lubrication (breathing and hugging trees...) can help get them running in the right direction again! No more writer's block (hopefully).

Honestly, start with chatgpt. You may not use it as the final result, but it gives you something to react to. Most people avoid AI. They think its cheating. Me - I think its a tool like anything else. Dont depend on it, but using it seems to be the point.

It is essential not to judge your work while it is still a work in progress. The problem is that you constantly interrupt the natural flow of thinking with your self-judgement, leading to doubts about 'whether I am adding value to this topic', making it harder for you to return to finish that paragraph. The best thing to do is let it all out first. Highlight, bold or underline what you think is the most relevant and then take it from there. You have to let the good and bad all be expressed before you can pick and choose what truly fulfils the purpose.

Das handschriftliche Schreiben, ist eine effektive Methode, um den Kopf ?freizuschreiben“ und eine gute Art der Selbstreflexion. Probleme, Sorgen, ?ngste werden sichtbar. Ich schreibe ca. 2 A4 Seiten - ich schreibe ohne nachzudenken auf, was mich bewegt. Es müssen keine ganzen S?tze sein, oder stimmige Formulierungen. Wichtig ist der Schreibfluss. Im Anschluss lese ich das Verfasste. Dann ordne ich die Gedanken und das bringt Klarheit und Ruhe in den Kopf. Sehr oft erkennt man, dass die Sorgen, ?ngste, übertrieben sind und sie sich nur im Kopf abspielen.

Whenever I’m in a bind, what helps is to get a piece of A4 paper and my pen. Just write. Don’t think about what might be right or wrong. It also helps that there are no red/blue squiggly lines telling you off. The paper is your canvas, do what you want. Then type it up and inject sanity into your writing.

In such a situation, freewriting always helps. It can be about anything - - a particular object in front of you. - a flower you recently saw and loved it instantly. - how your day went. - your thoughts on the last movie you saw. It can be anything. It will help ideas to flow into your kind without feeling any kind of pressure, and will definitely unlock creativity. You will then be prepared for the actual task you were supposed to do.

I have never conceded to the term, ' writers' block' because the very thought, induces it. We say writers' block, whenever we 'decide' to write about specific and personally specified topics. Thought processes are, therefore, instructed to hone in on narrow and acute areas of literary demand. They, psychologically, become mentally instituted and subjects are unable to breakdown the self-instituted block. So, you want to write about something specific but for whatever reason; lack of information has you resorting to writers' block as an excuse. Write about absolutely ANYTHING, you'll find the so called block is non-existent, and you're cured. Result: just write whatever and whenever and the 'writers' block theory becomes non-existent.

Alternatively, consider talking to an AI like ChatGPT. Don't ask it to write for you—this can only lead to bad quality writing—but open a conversation with it on your topic of interest. You'll be surprised how easily it can unblock your creativity.

As Richard Feynman mentioned in his words “You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.” Sometimes teaching someone or talking to anyone who has no idea about the subject maybe helpful. How much you have to write is depends on how much you want to write. For a book I mostly make a conference or talk in a university.

“You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.” This quote, from Feynman, is one of my own favorite insights. Schools like to pretend that young students can engage in critical thinking when they hardly know what they are talking about. So everyone, especially students, should try to get rid of any unnecessary words, tighten your thoughts down to 25 or fewer words, and then articulate that message to another person, somebody who knows nothing about what you're working on. I think students can help each other a great deal by passing new versions back-and-forth.

Talking to comeone is one of the best ways to get out of your own head, and your own way. Sometimes, an outside perspective can change our own. Whether it be simply a need for a little encouragement or a "Hey, this sentence here makes me think X and it doesn't mesh well with Y." It can be that easy. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Or to show someone your raw work.

Go on a walk, blast music and dance, do push ups, fold laundry, play basketball, vacuum, mow the lawn, etc. Whatever you do, make it something completely different that gets you out of your head. ?? Let your subconscious do some of the work. While your brain is not fixating on what you have to write, your brain can make connections that will often surface after you return.

I love working at home and I have a nice desk right next to a window, which allows my eyes to take a break from my monitor every now and then and enjoy a bit of nature. But sometimes that's not enough. This one time I was struggling to come up with an idea for a short story and after a few hours I decided to just go for a walk. Some of the things I saw outside gave me the inspiration I needed to write a first draft. It's not like the muse strikes each time you step out of the door, but giving yourself some time to relax, to let your mind wander and possibly to bump into something that stimulates your imagination surely helps!

Take a walk outside (at least 15 minutes). Observe life going on around you, feel the energy of other people. Think about something else before getting back to your task with renewed energy and inspiration.

I drop everything and take a short walk. It is a good time for a mental break, no matter how short, to clear my head. Sometimes, I get lucky, and a minor distraction inspires me to add to my writing. Or I return refreshed and recharged to resume the task.

Take a walk around the block, then skip the intro graf when you get back to your desk. Jump right into the meat of it and the intro will form itself.

Set a timer for 10 minutes and block out all other distractions. You can do anything for 10 minutes! Don’t edit - just write. This is often the kickstart you need to get going.

Harness a mix of positivity and negativity: A. Challenge yourself and avoid punishment B. Plan to Give yourself a treat if you finish before time C. Write from your heart in an extempore free flowing manner and fill the gaps and corroboration with research later D. Start somehow and think of the time already sunk in the article

Writer's block is often about getting in one's own way. Giving oneself permission to write the worst version of what you're trying to write can free up a blocked writer so they can get moving again, gain momentum, and make "mistakes" that end up being anything but.

Writing is the last thing I do while working on a story. Writing takes less than 25% of my time for everything I put out. There’s no block. There’s a restless outpouring of writing because by the time I’m writing, I’ve visualized the story, multiple times.

This is the 5th time I am seeing this topic in the contributory articles notifications and I have followed this strategy in writing in !! A. Think of an ideal reward you can indulge in B. Challenge yourself and promise to take that reward at the end C. Think of the worst situations you have overcome (this is simple writing and can’t be as bad!) D. Either Just start without any coherence or flow and keep at it for a few lines E. Alternatively make a loose structure and start writing in with whatever section you are comfortable in F. Write till you have to stop G. ( very important step) Think of the opportunity loss if you give up : time, loss of reward, loss of face etc H. Resume and repeat Contributory article concept is a sham!