Yup, I know the feeling. I also know that screaming at your figurative wall doesn't do a hell of a lot of good, unless you're in a psychologists office(in which case, go for it!).
With writing, however, the problem is that the more you push, the more you try to force that barrier away, the less successful your efforts become. In fact, you eventually get to a point where just sitting down to write your next paragraph becomes a daunting prospect and all the joy and love of writing has turned into something resembling a great, big, stinking pile of... well, work.
(get your head out the gutter!)
I've been facing a little bit of a block myself this last week, and needless to say its been driving me crazy. something about not being able to do the one thing you most want to do probably has something to do with it.
So I decided to post a little on the topic after trying a few suggestions. Now, obviously different things work for different people so this isn't too definitive but it was a fun experiment nonetheless.
1. Exercise.
This one didn't work so well for me, being that i'm not a particularly athletic person it only made me more irritable, and sweaty to boot.
2. Get Out.
I'm not too sure how this is supposed to go, so i tried a few different approaches. I went out with my sisters one night... but that ended up in exhaustion and a severe headache in the morning.
So after that failed first attempt I went out for lunch with a friend and some social interaction. It worked wonders! The main goal was simply to forget about my project, about writing, about deadlines and pretty much anything to do with writing. when i got home i felt refreshed and filled with creative energy!
3. Inspire yourself.
You know what inspires you. There are certain movies that get you angry, or rip your heart out. Those are great for trying to channel an emotion that isn't readily available to you, which may help you write from that emotional perspective.
Songs are especially good for this since you can write and listen at the same time, never losing that emotion. If you're more visually inspired then download a few songs that remind you of a special scene in a movie that tugged at your heart. If not then create a couple of playlists for different types of scenese: Angry, Sad(romance), Sad(family), beautiful, adventurous, sexy...
It works!
