Writing is almost like getting water from a pump. You can’t draw water from it without flailing it. You have to exert effort; otherwise you’ll get stuck with an empty bucket. In writing’s case, you’ll get nothing but a blank piece of paper.

 

Yet sometimes the pump does not cooperate at all. No matter how hard you flail it, it doesn’t give off a single drop of water. Welcome to the real world of writers, where writer’s block is a frequent problem. If you often find yourself in this situation, congratulations, you’re normal.

 

That’s not to say that you can’t overcome this natural phenomenon. By doing something new or drastic, you could beat writer’s block each time it pays you a visit. Here is our top ten list of ways to bust it.

 

10. Talk to yourself.

 

Unleash the inner you. If you can’t seem to extract those juices with the use of a pen, you might get some stroke of luck by talking out loud. Talk while peeing in the bathroom, while in a line to the ATM machine or while aboard a bus. You might even get a bonus with the stunned looks you’ll get from passersby.

 

9. Doze off to wonderland.

 

Sometimes getting a short beauty rest is just what you need to reset your thoughts and emotions. This is especially true if you’re not feeling well or are having negative thoughts. If you’re lucky, you might even have an interesting dream that could make for an interesting writing prompt for a unique essay or poem. That’s why you should consider placing a pen and notebook near your bed so you can doodle and free write away right after waking up.

 

8. Get out.

 

So you have everything you need at home: a cupboard packed with corned beef and all the mystery meat you could stuff yourself with, a fridge occupied by your next few meals, and, of course, that entertainment system you’d never give up even if your husband was in a guillotine. But sometimes it’s neither boredom, nor destitution that pushes you to get out. Sometimes just getting out and freeing yourself from the bonds of your home can help your mind explore better. Being exposed to a new environment, something so much less familiar than your comfort zone, gives you a different perspective of things.

 

7. Get a load of antioxidants.

 

Never underestimate the power of a warm cup of green tea. More than awakening your senses and loading you up with caffeine, it helps you focus on your writing. That’s because it is packed with antioxidants. If you’re not a fan of green tea, you could always try dark chocolate. You even get a bonus by turning your mood into a more positive one since it has the ability to stimulate endorphins in your body.

 

6. Use yellow paper.

 

We’re no kidding about this; the type of paper you use can actually affect the flow of your writing. Don’t you feel more at a loss for words when you’re facing a blank white piece of paper?

 

Now here’s some trivia for you. Did you know that the reason why lined legal paper is colored yellow is because it enhances concentration? While you can more easily get white paper for your free writing, we suggest you do otherwise.

 

Instead, you should get for yourself a yellow bond paper. The reason behind this is that even lines can affect your way of writing. They can have that subconscious effect on you that your writing is bonded to reality….or something like that.

 

5. Rob a McDonald’s outlet.

 

Sometimes life’s just so boring that you can’t seem to extract anything from your experiences worth writing about. More often than not, a little fun is just not enough to get your writing muscles stretched. This is where extreme emotions come into the picture.

 

Extreme sorrow or extreme bliss, for instance, can push you to jumpstart your writing. You need not think up formulas in your head or techniques you can use with your piece. With your extreme emotional wheels turning, you can easily write freely without stopping.

 

Since extreme happiness or sadness is so hard to feel deliberately you could work on having extreme excitement instead. What better way to do this than by holding up a McDonald’s outlet. If you think that’s far-fetched then just go shoplifting in a local store.

 

If you feel that’s completely against your morals, then try a round of prank calls on friends and strangers. Once you finish messing with your 28th victim, start writing about the adrenaline rush you felt while making a fool of yourself and other people.

 

4. Think about five people you’d love to meet in hell

 

If getting excited just doesn’t work for you, maybe you should try getting mad. Think of the five most horrible people you have ever met in your life. Imagine watching them rot in hell while melting in boiling oil. Who knows, after a few months of nurturing ill thoughts towards your neighbors you might become an established graphic novelist.

 

3. Watch a foreign film without subtitles.

 

Wasting your time is one thing, but wasting your time while making a fool out of yourself is another. Enjoy getting lost in foreign words mouthed by actors you have never seen in your entire life. Be sure to go for a movie embedded with a lot of dialogue. Simply guess the translation of the lines thrown by each actor in every scene. Try to formulate your own plot based on what you could understand.

 

2. Read Paris Hilton’s books.

 

Reading is always a good way to get ideas and writing prompts that help you start your next poem or short story. Some literature helps you acquire a certain kind of language or style you want to use in your writing. If you seriously believe you’d get one or both of these things by poring over Paris Hilton’s books, we suggest you get your head checked. Actually, you may get into the “I’m-so-lucky-and-pretty-and-I’m-sure-I-can-sleep-with-any-boy-I-fancy” tone of voice if you read Paris’s bright ideas.

 

We bet, though, that just fifteen minutes into her book you’ll be starting with your epic or thriller or whatever it is that you intend to write. Sure Paris may have heaps of money to back up her writing career but reading, her works could ignite that passion in you. After all, you could surely write something more worthy of readers’ attention.

 

1. Get drunk.

 

Alcohol drinks is always a great truth serum. Not only could you unleash your subconscious while drunk, but also your innermost creative juices. Just take it from Edgar Allan Poe himself, the father of macabre who’s known for turning to alcohol to get his drive in writing.

 

So the next time your brain seems to be stuck and you don’t know the next phrase to pen or the next word to type, you know what list to turn to. You never know. Maybe a cup of hot cocoa or that McDonald’s outlet down the street could just be the perfect inspiration for your next award-winning composition.