Hello, y'all! I'm Angelika, on Wattpad, an Austrian writer, and a cat person. I'm feeling very honoured and special to be part of this marvellous party again! Thank you, Kelly, for the invitation. It means a lot to me.

For a long time, I didn't know what my post should be about until I came to a decision. A certain disease EVERY writer knows—and occasionally suffers from it—has bothered me the past half year:

Writer's block.

This may have sent chills up and down your spine. Those wee, sneaky words love to get on our nerves, steal our motivation and creativity. For me, a lack of ideas is the worst.

So I did a lot of research to get myself inspired. Let me tell you, there are a ton of ways and probably not every single one will work for you. My favourites are listed below. I bet a handful of you've heard at least some of them before if not all. Anyways, I hope you still find them helpful or find new ones, so let's get started!

1. The Blank Paper Turns Into a Letter

Don't you hate it? You're looking at your screen and see nothing but white. Everywhere. As if the White Witch from Narnia has captured your document, barring spring to come and words to sprout.

Okay, so you don't have any ideas what to write about. You may know some scenes of your story, maybe you even want to write a specific scene right now, but you don't know how to get started. No problem. Try something else instead. This I find very helpful:

Don't force yourself to write it now. Think about your character. In which situations will you send him next? How does he feel about it? Have him write a letter to you, another character or a diary entry. Write down his feelings and fears so you understand him better. Once the words are flowing try to write the scene again and this time, you'll understand your character so much better!

Which leads me to my next topic I want to talk about:

2. Get to Know Your Characters

Often I feel like I don't know everything about my characters and am unsure how they'll react to certain things. I want to portray them and their relationships as realistic as possible, but that's no picnic. So here I have another easy task that will make you find out more things about your character.

You've seen them a lot in all of the past Wattpad Block Parties and may have found them fun to read. Trust me, they're also fun to write! Interview your character (or characters) and get to know them. Chat with them about anything and everything. Ask them silly questions, funny questions, serious questions, philosophic questions—anything you want. I love to ask them questions like, "Why are you about to do what you're about to do?" or "Do you regret doing...?" or "Why won't you speak to...?" Ask them how they're feeling about things they or other characters have done.

What I love is interviewing multiple characters at the same time. This way, you have the opportunity to have the characters interact with one another, fight, laugh, whisper—basically, anything that shows their relationship.

Once you've done an interview you're a lot closer to them. Hopefully, then you'll find it easier to write your story.

3. To Plot or Not to Plot, That Is the Question

Some love to plan every single detail of their story before they write it. Some just start writing and the ideas will come while doing so. Then again, some do both. Here we have the planners, the pantsers and the planters.

While I've used to be a pantser with a slight tendency towards plantser, now I'm a planner. At some point, not planning at all hasn't worked for me anymore. I needed a change and hence I became a planner though I still have a tendency towards plantser.

What I want to say is, find out what's best for you. Planning every tiny bit of your story can be a huge help—but alas, also destructive for your imagination. I like to plan the twists and most important scenes of my story, but in between, I give myself space to come up with new ideas while writing. This way I can control the story but don't forget to...

4. Listen to Characters

Seriously. Listen to them. They tell you what they want to do. They tell you if they want to follow the path you chose for them or if it's something they normally wouldn't do. Don't force them down a road they really, from the bottom of their hearts hate and wouldn't choose for themselves if it weren't for the story you've planned. This way, you soon come to a point of writer's block. It'll be too hard for you to keep your characters and story moving. It comes to a halt.

5. I NEED to Write a Scene That Doesn't Come Next

Sometimes (okay, in my case, many times) you want to write a scene that's somewhere down the road. You still have to write so many chapters until you get to that scene. But you just can't stop thinking about it. My tip: Just write it. It's better to write it now than force yourself to write another scene.

Just recently, I've talked with some Wattpadders. Two of them said they love to write the most important scenes and endings first. Only after that they write the in-betweens and connect the important scenes. It's an interesting way to write a story and helps to keep and follow your storyline.

Others like to write chronologically. I understand that since I'm like that too. But every once in a while I can't get a specific scene out of my head and HAVE to write it down. Then I just do it, especially when I can't find any inspiration or motivation to write the scene that would come next. After I've written the scene I was dying to write, it's a lot easier to focus on the other one.

6. Aesthetics

Ooh, I LOVE aesthetics. They're cute, cool, beautiful, inspiring and fun. I can spend hours on Pinterest looking for pictures that fit my story. This way, I really get into the story. Photos inspire me a lot. A single snapshot can tell you a whole story and give you endless ideas.

Organise those pictures you find. Create pinboards. Get inspired. Think of quotes. What would the characters say about each other? What are their thoughts? What will they do in their stories? How can you describe them in five words? Put those quotes on the pictures and create collages, banners and covers. They set the mood of your story and help you get started.

7. Get on Board and Make Your Pinboard

I've already talked about Pinterest's useful pinboards but I find real pinboards very helping as well. Pin printed pictures, dried flowers, quotes, anything on that board that reminds you of your story. I even connected the notes on my pinboard with a red thread to organise it. It's cool to look at and reminds me where I want to go with my story. Also, a "golden thread" is called "red thread" in German which is why I chose the colour.

8. The Vibes

Do you love music? I know I do! That's why I love listening to songs. Their lyrics are very, very, VERY inspiring. I feel like some songs are written for—or even by?—my characters. They help me to see things from their perspective.

That's why playlists are great. Listen to them before and while writing. Hear the music, feel the music, let go of everything else and lose yourself in your story. I like to have it play quietly in the background.

In the past, I've written a vast number of song quotes down; things my characters will be saying or thinking at a certain point in their lives. You can also use those quotes for your aesthetics.

9. Go for a Walk

Yes, leave the house. Visit places that remind you of your story. While doing so, listen to music. Imagine being your character. Relax. It's time for a break. Leaving the screen can lift a huge weight off of your chest. Maybe it'll lift that stupid writer's block as well.

10. BE Your Character

That may sound stupid if you're not a writer so please don't judge. I have a confession to make: I (not so) sometimes love to act out scenes I've written or am about to. I pretend to be one of my characters, laugh, cry, make weird faces, and talk to the air. After that, I often feel ready to write.

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I really, really, really hope you found my ten tips helpful. Please let me know what you think about them! Don't forget to tag me so I can answer you as fast as possible.

I will giveaway a review of the first three chapters of your English or German story on Wattpad to one lucky winner. My giveaway is open internationally. The giveaway link will be posted at the bottom of this post as well as on Kelly's profile!

Have a nice day and don't forget to check out the other awesome posts! One last tip from me to you: "A crappy first draft is worth more than a non-existing one."