Journal Writing Cures Writer's Block

Author - Mari L. McCarthy
Published - August 22, 2009

frustrated journalerWriter’s block is a chronic condition that impacts all writers. And that means everyone because we’re all writers. Writer’s Block episodes are temporary situations but we prolong the agony when we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by IT rather than meeting, managing and mastering this challenge.

Writer’s Block provides us the opportunity to get out of our overthinking heads return to our bodies and get in touch with our self--our emotionality, our spirituality and our physicality. Did I leave anything out? 

Rather than playing old mind games and/or running away grab your Journal and put it to work for you on this writer’s block challenge: an opportunity requesting action.

1.  Just do It Write
Get out your journal notebook and drain the swamp as fast as you can.  Writer’s Block has a real problem with things creative so simply write, write, write. Set a timer and see how many pages you do in 10, 20 or 30 minutes. Keep the water bottle at the ready

2. Start from Where You’re At
Do what  Journal Writer Preet Juneja says works for her “Penning down feelings like 'I don't feel like writing or don't know what to write'... Let your mind get rid of that block first - a gradual process but it works!” And Dawn Herring of JournalWriter Freelance adds “
If I write about anything that is bothering me, as in an underlying issue, in my journal, it helps to free up my mind to write other things. Sometimes I'll write an essay or story concerning that underlying issue which is an automatic writer's block eliminator”.

3. Burn the Baggage

Anger, resentment, envy, loss and tough times are the titles of these clever journals that you can use for 30 days (you alternate—one day you write positively, one day you write negatively). It comes in PDF form so you can download it and get started write away. inspiration

4. Face the Music
Pick out some music, music sing with it, dance to it and play with it. Maybe some lyrics will prompt you to journal; maybe your feelings will get you going to the page.  Consider Mari L. McCarthy

5. Poetry in Motion

Never written a poem before?

Just start putting words on a page anyway you want, connect the words or paste in a picture and write down the words that you see, hear, smell touch and taste from it.

ODE on a WRITER'S BLOCK

I see you’re with me all the time,

You love to screw up all my rhymes

But I’ve searched everywhere and now I know

Working with you makes me grow.

I no longer run away,

I’m interested in what you have to say

I created you of that I’m sure

And grasping this makes me secure 

So as a team back to the page we go

To invent new lines for the world to show!

7. Multitask and Make it Last
Add in meditation with your journaling.  Pose a question like, ‘How do I get over this Writer’s Block episode?’  Bring the question into the meditation for 4-5 minutes and then write the answer in your journal.

8. Interview with the Vampire
Be Clark Kent or Jimmy Olsen or Lois Lane and find out what Mr. or Ms. Writer’s Block story is and conduct the interview in your Journal.

9. Take a Hike
To an online writing class. A place like Writer’s College has all kinds of different types of writing classes. They just added a class on ‘Shadow Writing’ where you learn to work with your subconscious and collective unconscious…

How do you use your Journal to negotiate a win-win with Writer’s Block?

Looking for more tips to help with writer's block?
Download my FREE Writer's Block Cure eBook now!

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