Top Tips for New Writers
to Overcome Their Stress

See also: Stress Management

Writing is an interest many people share. For many, words can come easily and you can form a paragraph, an essay, an article or even a whole novel in just a short span of time. What most writers fear, however, is what we call writer’s block.

Writer's block may come in different forms and may be triggered by different causes, but the result is a writer finding it hard to formulate simple sentences, statements and ideas.

Writer’s block can be caused by too much stress, lack of rest or fresh ideas, and even putting too many emotions into what you write. Either way, this can be a distressing moment for any writer and can lead to lack of interest.

Here are some top tips for new writers to overcome their stress.

1. Talk Yourself Through It

There’s nothing like self motivation to get you through things that stress you out.

The truth is that you are the only person who can really motivate yourself. Other people’s attempts, motivational quotes and clips are futile if you refuse to encourage your own self.

Be gentle on yourself and your mind when you write. Writing is supposed to be natural and should not be forced or pressured. Do it one by one, step by step.

2. Express Your Emotions in Writing

The best literary pieces and the most phenomenal writers in history did not write a book or a poem without sharing a part of their soul in it.

Writing means showing yourself to the world. Thus, what you write should be true, what you believe in and from deep inside. Don’t worry about the words, the grammar or the rules. You can check them later.

Write any word that comes to your mind when you feel an emotion and start from there. Keep writing until you have poured your emotions out. When you are done, sit back, read through what you have written and feel your raw emotions.

3. Write About Someone Who Loves You Deeply

Having inspiration is a great motivation to write.

Writing about someone who is inspired by you is also a great motivation. Why? It’s because when a person shows you their affection, they perform acts that can make you happy. It is easy to put this happiness into words since you are at the receiving end of affection.

There are a lot of good things to say about someone who shows that they care for you. Most of us become used to writing about someone we love. Give it a change of perspective and write about someone who loves you.

4. Avoid Taking Things Personally

Draw a line between pouring out your emotions and taking things personally.

Pouring your emotions means sharing what you feel. Taking things personally means being so affected by what you write that it totally disrupts your way of writing. For example, writing about a sad story in your past should not bring back the pain you felt on those days.

It may seem unlikely to do, but take note that sharing an experience or putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and sharing their experience is different from being affected by your experience or someone else’s. They are two different actions that you can easily differentiate to avoid affecting your writing.

5. Stop Trying to do Things Perfectly

Most new writers make the honest mistake of wanting to make their piece perfect. We all want that.

However, being too watchful about grammar, paragraphs and punctuations can distract the flow of your mind and the flow of your writing. This is a common behavior for many writers, yet it can greatly affect the result of your writing and the message you are trying to get across. When you constantly check for grammar rules, it can lead to altering and altering until the message becomes different.

While checking for errors is a good practice, save that for when you are done with your piece and while you are proofreading. In the mean time, write your heart out and never mind the errors.



The Skills You Need Guide to Stress and Stress Management

Further Reading from Skills You Need


The Skills You Need Guide to Stress and Stress Management

Understand and Manage Stress in Your Life

Learn more about the nature of stress and how you can effectively cope with stress at work, at home and in life generally. The Skills You Need Guide to Stress and Stress Management eBook covers all you need to know to help you through those stressful times and become more resilient.


Other Quick and Easy Tips to Overcome (Writing) Stress

Aside from these long term ideas, there are also quick tips and tricks to overcome your writing stress and writer’s block.

Again, this phenomenon can be caused by several varying reasons, but the main goal is to write. Although there are specific approaches to the different reasons for getting writer’s block, sometimes all you need is to clear your mind and do some relaxation techniques to get back on track.

Here are simple and quick tips:

  • Go for a walk or run.

    Walking and running are forms of cardio exercise that can have positive effects to your writing in many ways.

    For instance, jogging or walking around your city can let you see new views and be exposed to nature, and this is a good get away from the confines of your writing corner from time to time. A cardio workout also increases your oxygen intake, which we all know is important for the blood circulation to the brain and helps us think.

  • Read a novel or articles.

    Exposing yourself to other writers allows you to view different ways of writing and expressing emotions. While we all know that reading can educate us in many ways, reading is also a way to activate your mind for new ideas in writing.

  • Drink coffee.

    A little caffeine boost can kick start your mind into writing.

  • Go somewhere else.

    Try changing your setting and go to a different place to write. This will allow you to see a new environment which can also trigger new ideas and ways of writing.

Writing should come naturally and it should not be forced – otherwise, it does not come from the heart anymore.

It is much more effective to write from the heart with a smile on your face so you can put into words your soul’s deepest feelings. Keep your smile healthy and bright with smile orthodontics.

Don’t stress yourself out too much when writing. Write what you want and the words will come freely.


About the Author


Joseph Green is an American content writer. His writings are not only descriptive but also meaningful.

Joseph loves reading and writing blogs so he writes about different categories like writing skills, communication skills, stress management, oral health care and many more.

TOP