Use pictures to bust through writer’s block

February 12, 2014   Tags: , , ๐Ÿ•‘ 1 minute read

When words don’t flow, the pen need not rest.
Give drawing a go, let pics do the rest.

One of the most frequent writing-related discussion topics in blogs and in forums is how to get past writer’s block – how to find ideas, how to take the next step in one’s manuscript.

Writer Brandy Moss inspired me with this posting on Google Plus:

Can’t seem to get the word flowing today. Instead I ended up with a poorly drawn tree house. My main character doesn’t know he’s about to wake up there.

She accompanied it with the image below, to which I added my own comment.

Pictures can write stories, too.

About David Leonhardt

David Leonhardt is President of The Happy Guy Marketing, a published author, a "Distinguished Toastmaster", a former consumer advocate, a social media addict and experienced with media relations and government reports.

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  1. Lisa says:
    at 3:30 pm

    Good tip! I guess that’s why Wordless Wednesdays are so popular in blogosphere.

  2. Cathy Kennedy says:
    at 4:44 pm

    Hmmm, I will try this sometime, except I’m not much of an artist. I wonder if doodling would help? May try that, too. ๐Ÿ˜€ Thanks for stopping by and joining my WW linky party!

    • David Leonhardt says:
      at 6:32 pm

      Artistic talent not required. Just imagination and, more importantly, the ability to let go and see what your pen gives you.

  3. Sharon Reece says:
    at 6:03 pm

    Very clever. This already got my creative juices flowing!

    • David Leonhardt says:
      at 6:31 pm

      Sharon, that’s the name of the game!

  4. Amila says:
    at 11:20 pm

    this is so true….sometimes pictures say a good story which words cant explain

  5. Shan Jeniah Burton says:
    at 2:08 am

    I use drawing, photography, hometending, time with my kids, television, music, dreaming, hot showers, other projects…

    But the first thing is that I never ever call it writer’s block. I look at it instead as a tangle in the weaving of a story, and I step back, do other things, and let my mind play with it in the background.

    Works every time! =)

    • David Leonhardt says:
      at 7:47 pm

      Sometimes, stepping back is the best thing you can do – if the momentum of writing has already been broken, right?

  6. Ruth Silver says:
    at 3:44 am

    I always find looking at stock images helps too. I know some authors will use a pinterest board for inspiration. Thanks for sharing.

  7. Tom Hunt says:
    at 12:38 pm

    YES!…A quick fix for writers who can’t think of anything else to put in their paper. I always get caught up with this difficulty almost every time, I guess every writer do experience it a lot. What i do when i get to this point is leave it for a day and then get back with fresh ideas. It works effectively for me, i don’t about you guys…but this is absolutely great tip here. Thanks for posting this David.

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