If you are a writer, you already know about writer’s block. If you’ve experienced writer’s block then you know what a heartache it can cause. The good news is that you can stop writer’s block cold in its tracks. The key to doing this is knowing the warning signs of writer’s block.

The seven early warning signs of writer’s block are:

1. Feeling tired. When you start to feel tired, save your work and take a break. Tense muscles, aching neck and shoulders and a headache are just a few signs that fatigue is setting in. Don’t ignore these aches and pains.
2. Long hours at the keyboard. Writers commonly suffer from pain in our hands, fingers, wrists, and elbows. This comes from long hours at the keyboard. If your arms or hands feel numb or tingly, take a break from the keyboard. Performing simple hand and arm exercises regularly can help, too.
3. Several looming deadlines with no plan for completion. Is your plate so full that you feel like you can’t breathe? Don’t pile on too many deadlines close together.
4. Procrastination. This is quite possibly the biggest warning sign of writer’s block. When blocked, writers tend to deflect by doing other things. House cleaning, laundry and cutting the grass suddenly seem like better tasks than writing when you are blocked.
5. Jumping from one project to another. Are you having trouble staying focused on one thing at a time? Are you jumping from one writing project to another, instead of finishing a single project at a time?
6. Starting several new projects at once. The worse thing you can do when you feel blocked is start another new project. However, many writers tend to do this so they don’t have to think about the work that needs to be completed.
7. All work and no play. Too much work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy…right? Right!

While these early warning signs may seem ridiculous, stop and think about it. At some point, if you’ve ever been blocked, you most likely found yourself in one of these positions. Pay attention to yourself and your work habits.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 25th, 2007 at 5:30 am and is filed under Writing tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.