Every writer I know, including myself, has experienced the dreaded phenomenon of writer's block. You are poised before your computer or notepad, desperately searching for the right words, yet nothing happens. The white page continues to remain blank and seems to taunt you as each minute passes. The frustration this causes can be overwhelming to the point that you think you may never write again! Well, there are several ways of dealing with the block:

Just write anything

This is a technique that has been tried-and-tested by many writers and can be very effective in breaking writer's block. All you need to do is write anything - it doesn't even have to make sense. The idea is that from writing anything, your mind will start to shift back to the writing task at hand and your creativity will return. I have tried this several times with success and conclude that it also helps to take away the frustration of not writing anything at all. What I am writing may be of no use to to my writing task but at least I am writing something. Procrastination is often the result of striving for perfection and can result in no work being produced at all.

Use bullet points

Some writers feel more comfortable writing their ideas as lists. If this is you, use bullet points. You will probably find that single words soon become sentences and you are quickly beating a path out of the writer's block jungle.

Write headings and notes

You might not be able to think of how to start your book, story, report or article, but you can certainly think of the headings you can use and write notes about the subject matter or plot. This is still a valuable part of your writing and you are likely to become so involved in the details that your writer's block will be forgotten.

Change your writing style

Do you always write at your computer? Well, maybe you have come to associate your computer with writer's block. Write on a notepad instead. Simply being in a different environment can also help - if you only write in your study, sit in the kitchen for a change and write and see if it helps. Also, if you only ever write in pencil, use biro or write in coloured pens. Anything is worth a try if it shifts the block.

Don't suffer in silence

I find that my writer's block is worse when I am sitting in a quiet room. Perhaps the opposite is the case for you and you hate any sort of background noise. However, if you often work in silence you might want to try listening to music as you work or even watching some television - it just might help you start writing.

Do two things at once

Having two ongoing projects can be helpful. If you are suffering writer's block with one you can switch to the other and so on. It helps if one of the projects is a different topic to those you usually write about or is in a different style. Just doing something different can refresh the mind and beat the block.

Read

Reading books that have influenced you and your writing can be a real help in crushing writer's block. Or you might choose to just read anything - even something you don't particularly like.

How is your body clock?

Are you the chirpy morning type who works best after breakfast or are you a night owl who likes to burn the midnight oil? Knowing your most productive time of the day will help you decipher your best times to write. Practice writing at different times and see which suits you best.

Get physical

If nothing else seems to work then it's a good idea to go for a walk, get some exercise and fresh air and get away from your writing for a short time. Take a coffee break, telephone a friend or eat a snack. Hopefully, when you return to your desk you will be able to face that white page with gusto!

KJ Hutchings is the founder of KJ Language Services, offering editing, writing and proofreading services and advice on how you can make your English language documents the very best they can be. For more information, visit http://www.kjlanguageservices.com/