All types of writers run into situations where they just can’t seem to get the words down on the page. AKA writer’s block. But what causes this, and how can you overcome it?

Do freelance writers get writer’s block? Yes, even non-fiction writers like freelancers can suffer from writer’s block. It can be a creative writer’s block where you don’t know what to write. Or it can be an overall lack of motivation and energy to work on the project.

In this article, I’ll discuss if freelancers can get writer’s block and how it happens. Then I’ll give you some tips and tricks that you can use to break your writer’s block if it happens, as well as trying to avoid it happening in the first place!

Do Freelance Writers Get Writer’s Block?

When you think of writer’s block, you probably think of it more as something that affects authors. But freelancers can suffer from writer’s block too!

As a freelancer, you may experience a short-term writer’s block, or you might find yourself getting into more of a long-term slump as well.

At least for me as a freelance writer, I find there are two main forms that writer’s block can come in.

There is a more creative form of writer’s block. This is the classic writer’s block that’s more common if you’re writing fiction. But it also affects bloggers and people writing articles or any other type of non-fiction as well.

You might just find yourself at a loss of words and unsure how to convey the message that you’re going for.

The other form of writer’s block that you may run into is just a lack of motivation. You know you’ve got writing that you need to get done, but you just can’t seem to force yourself to do it.

No matter which of these forms of writer’s block you find yourself running into, I have some general advice that applies to both.

Take A Break

Sure, there are times when you just need to focus and push through a writing assignment. But there are other times when you need to just know when to call it quits.

If there is no looming deadline or other reason that you need to get the work done, try to listen to what your body and brain are trying to tell you.

It’s usually not productive to force yourself to sit and do the work. You might get a few hundred words out if you make yourself sit there for several hours in agony. Or you can just take a break and come back later.

If you find yourself getting burned out on a particular project, I’d try to take some time off of it.

Depending on the extent, that might just be taking a short break for an hour to go for a walk or grab something to eat. Or maybe you need to take off the afternoon or an entire day before you come back to it.

Mix Things Up

Unless you’re a robot, it’s not very fun to write about the same thing 20 times in a row. Especially if you’re doing reviews or comparisons, or other things that all follow the same format with only minor variations.

So try to spice things up and switch between projects every once and a while.

If you write for two different clients, try to alternate them. That way you aren’t ever writing about the same topic for two days in a row.

Even if you just have one big client, take off at least one day per week to devote to working on your own writing projects instead.

Want to learn how to write faster? Check out my article How To Write A Blog Post or Article FAST!

Get Some Exercise

Getting your blood pumping can really work wonders when it comes to blasting apart that writer’s block.

There are mornings where I roll out of bed and feel like garbage. I have no energy for anything, especially writing. But if I can manage, I try to force myself to be a bit of exercise. It can be as simple as going for a 15 minute walk around the block, lifting some weights, or whatever you like.

Paradoxically, I find that exerting energy actually gives me more energy back in return. If I sit and do nothing all day, my energy level stays at a low state and I can never seem to get going.

Talk To Someone

For some people, it helps to talk to a friend or family member about their writer’s block. Just ranting about it can sometimes help remove the block.

So call up a friend or send them a text.

Get Inspired

This works best for more creative forms of writing, as opposed to freelancing. But it might still help you out.

Watch a movie, read a book, play a video game, or listen to some music. Anything creative to engage your brain and inspire you a bit.

Even if you’re just writing a blog post about a particular topic. There’s probably a documentary about the topic on Netflix that you can watch for a few hours to get more of an emotional connection to the work you have to do.

If You’re Lacking Motivation

There are things that you can do to maximize your chance of success with writing, and avoid falling into a lack of motivation.

There are a bunch of things you should try.

Set writing goals for yourself. This might be a specific word count that you want to hit by the end of the day, or some other measurable result.

Make a schedule or routine

You’re more likely to get work done if you specifically block out the time and force yourself to do it.

In terms of a routine, I recommend trying to write something every day just to keep yourself in the habit. If you have several days off, it can be hard to get back in the swing of things. Writing at least 1,000 words per day will help to keep your momentum going.

I’m writing this post on a Monday, and even just after the weekend I have a lot of apprehension about getting started.

A huge part of motivation is to just start. The work can seem insurmountable if you’re just starting at a blank page. But once you start writing, I find it’s like a snowball.

If you can just force yourself to get those first 100 words on the page, then you’ll be hitting 1,000 before you know it. You just need to give yourself an opportunity to get into that flow state and allow the words to start pouring out of you.

Having to motivate yourself is one downside of being a freelance writer. But there are lots of positives too! See my article Benefits of Being A Freelance Writer (Pros & Cons!) for some examples!

Avoid Distractions

Once you do start working, you need to make sure that you don’t get sidetracked.

Opening up websites like Reddit or Facebook or that idle clicker game can be second nature. Sometimes when you hit a natural lull in your writing you may even open them almost unconsciously without realizing it.

If you do get off track, try to just get yourself back to the writing as quickly as possible.

Wherever possible, try to remove any possibility from distracting yourself at all. There are Chrome plugins you can use to block specific websites for a certain amount of time. Or you might just disconnect your wifi as soon as your research is done and you don’t need the internet any more.

It’s a good idea to also put your phone into airplane mode so you aren’t getting distracted by phone calls, text messages, or app notifications.

Do The Hard Things First

Depending on which productivity experts you ask, you can get different answers about the order that you do things.

Some might suggest that if there is a small task you can get out of the way in 5 minutes or less, you should just to it to remove it from your list.

But when it comes to writing, I recommend always starting with your longest or least appealing piece of work first.

For me, I have the most mental energy and motivation first thing in the morning. So I need to get started on the most important part of my job (the writing) first thing. Then I can worry about emails and other stuff later.

Imagine that writing your blog posts or articles are like big rocks, and all the little tasks like replying to emails or sending invoices or cold pitching new clients are like sand. If you want to get everything into one cup, it’s a lot easier to put the big rocks in the cup first and then pour the sand around them. If you put the sand in first and it takes up most of the space in the container, it will be hard to get the rocks in afterward.

If you’ve got a bunch of different blog posts or articles to write for a client, I also recommend starting off with the ones that appeal to you the least. Get them out of the way first, and then you can focus on the easier things. I always regret it if I leave the post I’m dreading until last.

Plan Your Content

Creating good outlines can really help you keep up the flow of things once it’s time to sit down and write.

I like to sit down and write a basic outline for a whole bunch of posts at once. Then when it’s time to write, I already have a basic framework to start from.

Figure out the key ideas and questions that you need to address in your post. And brainstorm some good headers that you’ll want to include. That way you can break your content down into smaller bite-sized chunks when it’s time to actually write.

Conclusion

Yes, freelance writers can get writer’s block.

It can be creative in nature where you’re trying to write but just don’t know what to say.

It can stem from a lack of motivation, where you just don’t feel the desire or energy needed to write.

For either one, there are some things you can do to help try and resolve your writer’s block.

No matter what you’re doing, taking a small break to refresh and mix things up will usually help.

You can also help yourself to prevent writer’s block in the first place by having a routine and schedule.