These tips for overcoming writer’s block are from experienced freelance writers, successful novelists, and writing coaches. Did you know that some writers don’t believe in writer’s block or finding “The Muse”? Other writers not only believe in it, they’re paralyzed by it. Whether or not you buy into the “writer’s block” theory – you’ll find practical tips for being a successful writer here. 

First, what’s writer’s block? According to Stephen Blake Mettee, editor of Writer’s Guidelines: More Than 1,700 Magazine Editors and Book Publishers Explain What They Are Looking fro From Freelancers, writer’s block is “When the only thing more blank than the screen in front of you is your mind.” 

I’ve rounded up eight tips on overcoming writer’s block from published book authors, business coaches, and freelance writers. This writing advice takes you beyond writer’s block to letting go of perfectionism – and writing no matter what! 

8 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

1. Forget the voice of the writer’s muse. “Most successful writers I know sit down at their computers every day and get to work, whether they’re feeling particularly ’inspired’ at that moment or not.  Sometimes the inspiration doesn’t come until you’ve slogged through some hard work and drudgery first.” – Barbara Kerley, award-winning children’s book author with 8 books published and 2 more on the way  

2. Chew one bite at a time. “The idea of writing a book is, for most of us, an enormous undertaking. To think we can do it in a big chunk is self-sabotage. It’s like the old story of how you eat an elephant- one bite at a time. By chopping the book process down to a page a day, you’ll be more inclined to begin. Once you do that, your already moving toward completing your book.” – Jim Donovan, author, speaker, business coach  

3. Write anyway. “We writers tend to indulge ourselves; we’re quick to acknowledge each distraction or tiny pain or lowered feeling.  Much as we are driven to write, we feel that we must be in the mood to write-as if the clouds will part, the sun will shine and every possible interruption will be silenced, and then it will be time to write. A professor in my freshman year at the University at Buffalo said to me, “None of that matters.  Write anyway.  Don’t think about how you feel or if it’s a perfect time to write or that you have a thousand other things to do. Write anyway. You have nothing to share and nothing to sell if there are no words on the page.” So “write anyway” became my mantra, and I write a thousand words a day, every day.” – Randi Minetor, author and freelance writer 

4. Find tips to end your writing procrastination. “Turn off the television, turn off your Blackberry, stop paging through all those news aggregate sites, and Just Write!” – Jen Miner, writer and blogger  

5. Create a “to do” list. “I don’t believe in writer’s block (I’m not the most popular person at a writers conference as you can imagine) – here’s the deal: when I work with folks I tell them to outline the book from start to finish. Chapter by chapter and then create a “to do” list from each chapter: research, permissions, character development, whatever. What this does is it gives them a running list of things to do so if they don’t feel like writing they can still move the book forward. This works for fiction and non-fiction.” – Penny C. Sansevieri, writers’ coach 

6. Set your writing goals. “Give yourself a short increment of time (15 minutes) and force yourself to write non-stop for that length of time. Treat yourself to a bathroom break, YouTube video or piece of chocolate when you finish your time.” – Nicole Amsler, freelance copywriter   

7. Learn tips to overcome perfectionism. “Many an article was never written because of the writer’s fear of not being good enough! It probably won’t be the last time you’ll ever get a chance to write on this very topic, so do the best you can and leave it at that. You can always tackle the subject from another angle or include different quotes for another publication in the future.” – Peggy Hall, veteran freelance writer

By the way, I heard bestselling author Bob Mayer speak at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference last year. When asked if he struggles with writer’s block, he said he can’t afford to. He has bills to pay, mouths to feed, mortgages to keep up on, etc….writer’s block isn’t part of his career.

Have you wrestled with your writing — and what do you think of these tips for overcoming writer’s block?