The cursor blinks at you in sync with the clock hanging on the wall. The page is blank, just like your brain.
“You’ll never finish in time,” it mocks.
“That’s five more minutes, wasted,” it taunts.
“You’ve got nothing,” it scoffs.
Frustrated, you close the page and admit defeat. With a 5 p.m. deadline looming, you move your attention to emails and anything other than that writing project.
We’ve all been there: The words just won’t come. This can be for a multitude of reasons including burnout, stress, personal distractions or fear. But regardless of our excuses, our deadlines seldom budge and eventually we must break through the wall standing between us and our finished projects. Below are six tips and tricks for blocked writers on deadline.
Tip No. 1: Just write.
Like going to the gym after the holidays, starting – writing that first sentence – is the hardest part. Don’t put pressure on yourself to pump out a perfect article from the minute you begin typing. Instead, focus on writing whatever comes to mind – even if you begin with, “This project will be the death of me, I can’t think of anything.” By flushing out the bad you’ve made room in your brain for the good.
Furthermore, it may be helpful to write out of order. Can’t think of an introduction but know exactly how you want to end the article? Start there. Perhaps you have an anecdote to illustrate a point – start there. Write everything out of your system, then go back and connect the dots. It’s always easier to build on a foundation (even a shaky one) than to start from scratch.
Additionally, save the editing for when it’s finished. Try not to second guess every word you type – if you do, you might never finish.
Tip No. 2: Eliminate distractions.
Turn off your phone. Close your browser. Put your headphones in and play white noise to drown out the sound of the office or the traffic outside. Move to a different desk or room if necessary. Having five hours to write a case study can quickly turn into two if every five minutes we wander away to the internet or our ever-growing email inbox.
Tip No. 3: Try a creative writing exercise.
Google “creative writing prompts” and you’ll find hundreds of simple prompts like “choose an animal and write about it.” Set a timer for one to two minutes and start typing. Once the timer stops, head back to your project. Taking a step back from the project you’ve been working on for hours can help wake up your brain and get your creative juices flowing.
Tip No. 4: Talk it out.
There are two types of people: those who are energized by a looming deadline, and those who are paralyzed by a looming deadline. Fast Company published a great article on how to use a frightening deadline to shake writer’s block. One suggestion the article offers is to talk it out.
We’re often better at articulating our thoughts orally than we are through writing, and the essence of what we’re trying to communicate tumbles out as we vocalize our thoughts. How many times have you explained a train of thought out loud and then been told to write it down, only to have forgotten what you’d said? The article suggests investing in a speech-to-text program or opening the voice-memos app on your phone. Using a recording device can provide a means to talk out your thought process and get through writer’s block.
Tip No. 5: Move your body.
How often do we start a writing project at 3 p.m. on Friday, only to find that our brain is exhausted, and we can’t even spell our own name if we had to? Physical activity can rejuvenate us.
Stand up at your desk. Take a quick walk around the block. Drink water. Stretch. Get fresh air. We may find ourselves in a stupor if we’ve been sitting in the same position all day with little movement.
Tip No. 6: Ask yourself, “What am I trying to say?”
Often, we lose focus of why we’re writing and what we’re trying to say. If there’s no purpose to the words, they will not come. Jot down what your thesis is and what your takeaways are, and bullet ideas that will support your thesis and act as packages for your takeaways. Reminding ourselves of the goal will help inform everything else we write.
If you’re struggling to meet your writing deadline (and perhaps reading this article to distract from or resolve your problem), I hope you find these tips helpful.