Everblossom by Larissa Hinton: Guest Post

Today I am hosting Larissa Hinton, author of Everblossom, for a guest post about Writer's Block. Enjoy!

How to Defeat Writer's Block, by Larissa Hinton

Now every writer has bumped up against writer's block or a dry spell as I call it. It's a harsh time in a writer's life where our words just don't flow. It's like someone sapped all of our writer powers and then laughed victoriously.

However, there is a way defeat this evil villain. These are the five steps I take if I encounter it.

1. Sleep

I know this may sound weird, like, "You're going to go to sleep while someone steals your powers?"

But I have to say 9 times out of 10 this fixes the problem. Why? Because when I'm writing, I don't think about food, relaxation, sleeping or even going to the bathroom, I just write and of course, when I feel my stomach growl or when my eyelids start feeling heavy, I know that my weakness as a human being is showing. But in order to keep producing enchanting novels, I have to take care of myself which, unfortunately, includes sleep.

And you never know, sometimes when you sleep, your dreams may come up with a weird solution to the very problem you had. Or you might even come up with new ideas for short stories or full length novels.

So remember: Even if you're writing at the climax of the story, remember to go to sleep if encountering writer's block. It can seriously help.

2. Exercise

I already hear the groans out there. Well, you know what? Exercise is GOOD for you. That's right, I said it! It produces endorphins and they make you as happy and peppy as a cheerleader.

Granted, most of us may not like cheerleaders and would rather have our heads cut off then become one, but don't you want their energy? Then this is the time to exercise!

Go for a walk. Take your dog out for a walk. Go to the gym. Lift some weights. Go swimming, hiking, bicycling, or whatever it is you like to do. Just take a moment away from your novel and get refreshed.

3. Read

Once again, this may sound like a novel killer or a, "Huh? Read? Now?" Yes, take a break from your novel and read other books. You may be inspired to write again or come up with a flood of ideas. You never know! You might even rediscover why you love the genre you love or discover a new author to love.

4. Write a synopsis of the troubling novel/outline

Now this may be the most difficult solution of them all! Outline the novel? How is this going to help? It'll help you navigate your course, if you will. You might be stuck because you got lost in where you are suppose to be going or you veered way off course (this has happened to me MANY times when I was a budding writer of romance) therefore, the best way to get back on course is to type/write up a quick synopsis or an outline as to where you want the novel to go and why.

5. Sidekick Time!

This is where you call in some backup. It might be time to get a second opinion about your book. Sometimes we don't see the problem because we've been dealing with this thing for so long, but an outsider might just straighten it out along with other stuff you might have ever noticed.

Now, what do most of these tips have in common? Taking a step back. Sometimes we just need a breather from all that chaos and go back into the simple life.

Anyway, I hope these tips help you defeat writer's block!

~This guest post is from Larissa Hinton, the author of Everblossom: A Short Story and Poetry Anthology. Additionally, Larissa authors her own blog called A Three Way Tie.

Thanks for stopping by Larissa!

An anthology that will quench your thirst for more than the ordinary.

Everblossom is a journey through poems and short stories that may seem ordinary on the surface but dig a little deeper and the world not only shifts . . . It changes.

You could also look forward to her release of Iwishacana/Acanawishi which should be released in early December.

Where rules are meant to be broken

Anissa is constantly on the run from the police and can't seem to stay out of trouble.

Secrets are meant to be kept

Until Anissa hides Florence in her bedroom and her mother finds out. There's only one thing left to do: Send her to Juvenile Cop Camp to erase all of her crimes on her record.

And everything is not what it seems

There's only one problem: Anissa is innocent.

Welcome to Iwishacana.