GUEST POST: Here’s how to... overcome that dastardly blogger’s block

I'm Laura, a travel communications executive, a freelance copywriter, and I also write words at six out of ten magazine. I'm known to be a bit impatient, and am a cat lady in the making. There's no better film than Jurassic Park. Fact.

Picture the scene: It’s the tenth day in a row you haven’t posted something on your blog. You feel like you’re abandoning your readers and, more worryingly, your stats will suffer. You half-heartedly write a quick post about something you’ve had lingering in the back of your mind and publish it FOR STATS. You have a mountain of emails building up and no drive to do anything about it, so all you do is sit in your pants eating German spiced cookies and watch toothless folk scream at each other on Jeremy Kyle.

Look, everyone’s been there. That big blogger you fawn over? She’s done the same. That HuffPo journalist? Same. Everyone from the great writers of yore to your favourite author (bad times if you say it’s Katie Price) has struggled with actually writing when they needed to. I bet Chaucer was a total stress head sometimes.

So how are you meant to deal with writer’s block? In seven ways.

1. Get outside

If you’re a stay-at-home-something or a freelancer, your home can suck all the creative juices out of you like a leech. Experts say you shouldn’t watch the telly in your bedroom as it can mess with your sleep patterns, so it shouldn’t be a surprise the place we eat, drink, sleep and write can cause a creativity issue.

Whether it’s taking your laptop to the park and writing al fresco or sitting in a fairly quiet coffee shop to refocus, try a change of scenery.

2. Avoid monotony

It’s great to have a set posting schedule, but this can stifle creativity. You know it’s coming, but you have nothing to say for this week’s Toenail Tuesday so what do you do? Write something for the sake of schedule about how grateful you are to have feet? Your readers won’t appreciate shoddy content for the sake of it. Google won’t either.

Try to mix up your posts a bit. Leave the schedule behind and write about what you want to. It’ your blog, after all!

3. Try something new

If you’re a beauty blogger it doesn’t mean only ever forever and evs writing about beauty. Say you’re a science geek too. Write about the science behind your favourite products. Just what the heck is naphthalene and why is it in my lipstick? What’s the difference between a sun block and sun screen? How does iridescent nail polish work dammit?

Combine your passions to write about something you’re excited in. Merge two ideas, even if they’re opposites, into one.

4. Lose the distractions

You’re on the sofa sat in front of your laptop. Your cat is being all cute and fluffy so you’re taking pictures to post on Instagram, your phone’s just alerted you to a twitter conversation, the telly’s showing a preview of that advert everyone’s talking about, and before you know it you’ve written nothing. Attention spans are getting shorter (eight seconds online). Yours needs to be sharp and focused.

Turn off the tv, get out a real notebook and unplug your router. If you’re going to write, you need to resist the urge to mentally meander.

5. Just write

Get yourself a mug of coffee and empty your brain onto the paper in front of you. Sure, it’ll be a garbled mess, but it’ll help clear your head having everything written down. Forget about punctuation or sticking to one topic, just write. If you’re fond of drawing, get your crayons out and start doodling your ideas. Before you know it you’ll find a thread to follow, and with that you can start something you enjoy.

Write what’s in your head that second. Even if nothing useful comes of it, you’ll have a book of ideas to refer back to when you’re feeling a bit more creative.

6. Go for a run

For me, this works best. I don’t know why but when I feel I’m getting blogger’s block I also feel the need to go for a really long walk – and I feel most creative when I’m on a beach. Not a field. Not a cafe. Walking on warm sand. If I actually do go (if I am able to at the time) my head feels so much clearer.

We all know exercise is just as good for the mind as it is the body, so take an hour to work up a mild sweat.

7. Just stop

You’re not being paid to write. You blog because you enjoy it. Like any hobby, sometimes you need a break. Take a step back for a few days, or a few weeks. Hell, if you’ve lost all joy forget the blog and channel your creativity into something new. No one will care (that’s a lie, there are still bloggers who I wish would make a comeback but telling yourself this means you won’t feel guilty).

No one likes forced content. It’s easy to spot and totally unnecessary. Take time away from your computer and just enjoy your creativity in other ways.

So there are my tips. What are your thoughts on overcoming blogger’s block and writing again?

You can find Laura on twitter @sixoutoftenmag and you should definitely check out her online magazine six out of ten