3 ways to beat writer's block

Whether you're a professional writer or a student, you've probably struggled with writer's block. Avoid unproductive interruption with these simple tips.

Most writers have an internal editor in their heads—a conscience-like voice that loves to criticize, ridicule and demonize every word they write. This voice can inhibit creativity and paralyze even the most experienced writer, making it hard to write and making quick writing extremely difficult.

In order to speed up your writing process, commit to destroying your inner editor with positive self-talk. When you hear your inner editor criticize your work, brush it off with a mantra about how good your work really is. Better yet, shut off your inner editor altogether. Visualize yourself slamming a door on your editor and working in peace. By freeing yourself from the editor within, you'll find that your speed—and writing—improves dramatically.

One of the most effective ways to slay writer's block and write more quickly is to work in bursts with small rests in between. You'll need an alarm clock for this simple technique. Commit to writing in five-minute bursts, then resting for one minute. Repeat as needed. You can slowly increase your writing sprints to 10, 15, even 30 minutes.

Just be sure you get the equivalent of 15 minutes' rest for each hour you work. This technique will train you to work in a quick and focused manner—you'll likely be so caught up in your sprint that you won't even remember that you were blocked.

If you struggle to write quickly, or at all, you may need to free yourself from your inhibitions and get some practice with a different genre. This technique can seem counter intuitive, but give it a try: put your work aside and try writing something different. A poem, a tweet, a letter, a news story — any genre out of your comfort zone will do.

When you free yourself from your preferred genre, you automatically give yourself a break and permission to write badly. Ironically, that can actually improve your quality when you go back to the work at hand.