9 ways to cure a creative slowdown
We’ve all had those moments. Staring at a blank page. Cursor blinking (or pen tapping – if that’s your preference). Sighing unnecessarily loudly and making yourself a coffee because you couldn’t possibly start without it.
I’ll admit, this blog post started with all these things. But look – the words eventually came.
When you’ve lost your creative spark, what do you do to get it back? How can writing hacks help get those creative juices flowing?
Alright enough procrastinating… let’s jump into it shall we?
1. Remind yourself why you’re doing this
Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “he who has a why can bear almost any how”, and this can be helpful when you find yourself getting sidetracked.
Write down the question(s) you’re trying to answer, in big letters at the top of your page, to remind yourself of why you are writing in the first place.
2. End your writing day by beginning the next day’s session
Before you call it a day after a productive writing session, start writing the first few sentences or paragraphs of the next day’s session.
This technique helps to avoid facing another blank page the next day and gives you a head start.
3. Add lines with rhymes
This is a favourite in the Crocstar office when we’re working on something creative. If we’re stuck on a sentence we’ll whip out our rhyming dictionary and peruse the pages. Trying to find rhymes forces you to think about different ways to say things. And it’s fun too.
4. Change the way you write
Mix things up. If you usually type, grab a pen and paper. Or get an audio recorder and speak your words aloud. This can even be used for where you work – a change of scenery might just do the trick to jumpstart that creative process.
5. Write a six-word story
You’ll have to thank Ernest Hemingway for this technique. Trying to boil down a story to only six words really gets the brain working. It’s a great way to practice your writing without actually having to write much. What a dream.
Here are a few examples:
“Wrong number,” says a familiar voice.
Finished my snack supply too soon.
Stay home and keep others safe.
6. Pomodoro technique
You budget your time into short increments and take breaks periodically. It works because you’re applying pressure to get something done before the time is up.
You work for 25 minutes, then take a break for five minutes.
Each 25-minute work period is called a ‘pomodoro’, named after the Italian word for tomato. 🍅
7. The rule of three
Some of our greatest stories, fairy tales and lines from literature use the rule of three to take advantage of the way our brain clings to patterns. This is great to use when you’re trying to create engaging content.
Think of three things or three angles about the subject to spark some inspiration.
8. Bore yourself
Write the most boring sentence you can think of. Absolutely no personality allowed. It needs to be dull. Then add another boring sentence, maybe two.
Then, liven things up by picking a few words to change. Shuffle the order of the sentences. See what you can take out.
By starting with just a few boring lines, you can see the work improve very quickly. Rather than get overwhelmed with a whole tome of text, just keep it simple and quick. You’ll soon find your rhythm and your voice and be able to carry on.
9. Write first, edit later
Editing isn’t writing (although we convince ourselves it is – guilty). It’s just a way to avoid actually getting some new words on the page. Leave the editing to the end of the process so it doesn’t interfere with the flow.
Just. Keep. Writing.
Writing is hard work. But like anything else, when you pick up some new strategies to do the work, it gets easier.
Need some help? Let’s talk. Want to share your writing hacks? Tweet us.
