Writer's Block

Ever sit in front of the computer thinking along the lines of "what the heck am I doing?" and "what to wriiiiiiite omg?"

It's a problem lots of people have, and if you think that this is limited only to writers, you're wrong. Regardless if you're a student or a professional, writer's block isn't something that you could solve just by smacking yourself on the forehead with your test pad and hope for an influx of ideas to come rushing in. Nope, it's much more deep-seated than you think.

So, how does one cure writer's block, you ask? From a non-professional point of view, here are a few suggestions (hey, they worked for me in university, so it must mean something, right?)

Photo taken from here

1. Writing exercises - they always help, especially exercises like word association. Writing down one word and writing down the first word that comes into mind after that is an excellent way of coming up with fresh ideas.
2. Read - read wider, move out of your circle of comfort when it comes to genres. Who knows, you'd find inspiration when poring over some dead dude's (auto)biography.
3. Multiple projects - get involved in more than one project at the same time. When you feel that you're running out of ideas, hop on to your next project or the one after that.
4. Organization - try organizing your thoughts by using mind-maps and charts. For an academic essay, try writing down all the important points and figuring out how to make each point work. For creative pieces, listing characters/characteristics and possible dialogues work too.
5. Self-confidence - don't second guess or be too critical of what you write. In fact, just go with the flow and do not be too hard on yourself. There's always time for editing.