So this time hopefully we won't have any more ironic writers block. This time I will use my writers-block blocking skills to block my writers block from blocking my writing! Yes, that was meant to be confusing. XD

~Blaze

Well, as all of you have undoubtedly seen by my wonderful example of Writers Block, it is something that can hit hard and suddenly, leaving your mind empty and body disheartened. I feel it all the time while trying to write for my stories. I feel annoyed at my lack of progress, frustrated that I can't think up anything, and tired of trying to force it. That, of course, is half of the problem.

But wait! I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll just give you a list of things that I do to stop Writers Block. I use these tricks for school when writing essays and other pieces as well. I hope you can apply them to your own writing as well! Enjoy!

1. Be Realistic

One of the many ways writers block occurs is when you are trying to meet a goal. Sometimes, it's writing a page of work. Other times, it's writing a whole chapter to post for your story. Whatever the task is will probably sound easy until you find yourself sitting in front of the blank computer screen frowning into your palm. What might be holding you back is your goal. Something like a time limit can become extremely constricting, preventing your creative juices from flowing simply because you are trying desperately to get something created.

What I advise in these circumstances is to shorten or entirely ignore that goal. Instead of a whole chapter of writing in one session, try writing only a few paragraphs. Work on something easy- maybe you could use Tiger's bullet-points to create an outline, and make your goal to write the scene of one of those points. Then, once you start writing, you can build yourself up to the more difficult tasks, and maybe even finish that chapter. Just try not to pressure yourself, because forced writing is the worst kind of writing.

But Blaze! One of my biggest problems is figuring out what I would put in those bullet points in the first place! Well little kitten, that is the next point that I'm going to get to.

2. Figuring out what to write

Another huge problem is the ideas. Sometimes you sit at the screen with enough ideas floating through your head that you just become lost. Other times, your mind is empty and filled with fluff. In both scenarios, you might be inspired, but lost in the tumult of your story.

One thing to do is try and organize your ideas into a neater form. One thing that I do is write everything down. Before starting a chapter, I pick up a piece of loose-leaf and write what the chapter needs to cover. Before starting a new story in general, I flesh out my characters, conflicts, and basic story line. Without guidelines like that, your ideas can become jumbled enough that you trip over yourself attempting to fit everything you want into one section. With an actual guide, you can create a story that... well, that actually makes sense. And prevent Writers Block, too.

3. The Ideas

So you're out of ideas and don't know how to continue. You're thinking of slamming your head into a wall in hopes that something will come to mind if you shake a few screws loose in your noggin. Well, instead of doing that, there are other ways to make ideas flow. One of the ways I create ideas is to go back to the main storyline and look at it as a whole. I read what I have written so far, and then I think of my initial idea.

Then I ask myself these questions:

What is the main point of this story? What is the main conflict of the story? What is the basic thing that my character must ultimately do by the end of this piece? How can I make my character reach this point in this chapter? What conflict can my character face that will further the story? How will my character change for the better (or worse) because of this conflict? Will it be an internal change?

Answering these questions will put your chapter and story on the right track, and will also stir up your imagination and get the creativity working again.

4. Takin' a Break

Sometimes you can't write simply because your mind is too stressed or excited to focus on the piece. Then, when you try to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) nothing comes out of your empty head. Take this time to relax your mind. Step away from the computer. Put down that pen and go play outside. If you are still really eager to write, maybe go scroll across the internet and look at pictures of cats. Play with your own cat if you have one! Just don't stress out over the lack of writing. You'll find that writing isn't something that can be forced. Just wait for the right ideas to hit and give yourself a well deserved break while doing it. You'll find yourself eager to write in no time!

5. The Inspiration

I spoke about ideas earlier, and how Writers Block can be overcome with organization and having a set plan of action. I usually experience a different setback- where I have all my ideas, I'm ready to write the next chapter and have everything set up, yet I get to the laptop and my half-finished piece and can't bring myself to write. What I really need at those times is inspiration.

How do you get the inspiration, the will to write? Well, I usually read other people's fanfiction. There's nothing like a well written Warriors fic to remind you of how you could be writing the same wonderful pieces. You could read a blog, Google inspirational quotes, listen to other people's dialogue and even watch movies. But one of the best ways is listening to music. The passionate trills of classical or the meaningful lyrics of other types of music can evoke many inspirational feelings that can start you writing immediately.

Hopefully that was able to help you a little bit. I know that you can try all of these and they might not work. Writers block appears differently in everyone. I just hope this can get you on the right track to finding your muse, your comfort zone, and start writing.

If you guys have any tips, or want to share your own methods of preventing writers block, please comment below! I hope you all have a wonderful break.

~Blazestorm