Writer’s block is horrible. You might feel like your brain is caught in a choking smog, or surrounded by an impenetrable, concrete wall.

When struck with writer’s block I feel like I’m simultaneously trudging through quicksand and being punched in the face. Nasty, nasty stuff.

Writer’s block seems to hit most acutely when I’m overwhelmed and over tired; not a great combination.

Dawud Miracle reprints an article by Daphne Gray-Grant titled: 20 Surefire Ways to Beat Writer’s Block.

Aside from the fact that Dawud’s written a killer blog post headline, the tips are extremely useful.

I want to add one more tip.

Try reading and commenting more

It’s simple.

1. Scan through your RSS feeds and blogs you read regularly. Or go find some new blogs and check them out.
2. Read. Read. Read some more.
3. Don’t just scan and skim. Really, read.
4. Find something that triggers an opinion or idea, even if it’s ultra tiny, like 1 extra tip.
5. Leave a comment on the blog.
6. Go back to your blog right away and expand on your comment. Reference the original blog post. If you don’t do it right away, you’ll most likely never get to it.

Even if the post you write is off-topic for your blog it doesn’t matter. All you’re looking for is a smidge of inspiration, something you can use to propel a single, simple idea forward.

Exactly like I’m doing here. Dawud’s article caught my eye (mostly because of the headline!) I read it and immediately decided to respond with this post. I didn’t spend a ton of time thinking about it, evaluating every angle or trying to write something perfect. I just wrote it. Quick and dirty.

Being able to respond to or expand on someone else’s ideas is a simple and easy way to get something out there and chip away at writer’s block. Hope it helps!