I've been having a bad case of "writer's block" lately...
But then I realized, I seem to never have "speaker's block."
Everyone may be different. However, I seem to mostly be able to find something to speak about. So why do I often have a problem when writing?
I think it's because when you stop speaking (especially if you are giving a presentation), there are consequences! There can be an awkward silence...
However, when you stop writing, there are no consequences at all. In fact, it can be pleasant. I can go back to surfing the web, instead of this dastardly writing!
But, I just started using the "Write or Die" website...
www.writeordie.com
This is a website where you can set it to have "consequences" if you stop writing. For example, an unpleasant alarm sound could start blaring at you, and it only stops if you start writing again!
Then there's "kamikaze" mode... This is when it starts altering your writing if you stop.
There are other sites and apps with a similar mode, that delete your writing if you stop writing. One thing I like about "Write or Die" is it's not so drastic... Instead, your writing gradually becomes "disemvoweled!" That is, the web page starts going back and removing vowels. The good thing about that is your writing is not totally lost, and you can probably "fix" it! However, it is a real consequence, because it will create extra work for you!
I generally use it in "consequence" mode (rather than "kamikaze" mode)...
The way I see it, it turns writing into being more like giving a talk, in that there is a consequence if you have too long of an "awkward silence" when you're writing!
Anyway, give it a try.
Another thing... It's just simple - plain text writing, no formatting. Also, I didn't really try the "Save" button, I just copy and paste the writing somewhere else when I'm done. (I regularly use
www.simplenote.com - which also has minimal formatting. So I copy and save the writing there. One great thing about Simplenote is it "syncs" between multiple platforms, and it saves all changes... So you can see what your writing looked like yesterday, if it's a piece of writing you've gradually changed. If you delete a paragraph, and you change your mind, you can go back and retrieve it later, because it's all saved in the history...)
I wrote this using "Write or Die"...
When I finish my writing, and have copied it over (and checked that it "saved" there), I reload the "Write or Die" page to stop the "consequences" from happening...
Oh, when you first get to the page, you may see a complicated looking "dashboard"-like thing at the top of the page. You have to click on the "Try" button to use the free web-based version. There is a paid downloadable version which you can get, too, which has more possibilities you can try out...
Maybe some here will find it helpful...
Best wishes,
Dien