If you read about writing, you’re going to run across articles about surmounting “Writer’s Block.” These articles are typically rife with ways to push past this block, rather than eradicate it. That’s because their authors seldom address what “Writer’s Block” really is. It’s treated like an incurable disease that must be suffered, martyr-like.
Does anyone know what writer’s block is, or where it comes from? Is it communicable? Here are our symptoms, we tend to say, without looking at why we developed them.
Stressed Man - WIX Stock Photo
For writer’s block is a symptom, not a disease. When we think we don’t have time to delve into the origins of our blocks, we become frustrated and nervous: I need to write. I need to break through this block. Anyone who writes to deadlines is going to feel particularly anxious to get on with it.
Do the solutions (tips, exercises) presented in “Break Your Block” instructions ever work? Certainly. They can. They’re prompts to generate ideas for those who happen to feel idea-less at the time. But being without ideas is not being blocked.
A true writer’s block is an aversion. If you want to get rid of a block, instead of trying to force yourself to write, then you’re going to have to sit down with yourself for a while and just think. If you have developed an aversion, then ask yourself at what stage of the activity it was first bred. When you take enough time to be self-reflective, you may even discover that it’s another phase of the process — rather than the end goal of writing, itself — that is producing your avoidance.
Here are some common and not-so-common reasons you might be experiencing a “writer’s block”:
Too tired, either temporarily, or chronically.
When your body isn't rested, even otherwise-pleasant or exciting activities can lose their attractiveness. As with most undertakings, writing requires attention and energy. Rest up, and then see whether your “block” clears up.
Sometimes, “burnout” may be the reason for your feeling of tiredness. The prescription for burnout is rest, too.
Poor diet and lack of proper nutrition.
Like lack of rest, poor nutrition can play a big part in your inability to apply yourself to your writing. Both the body and the brain can suffer from malnutrition. A poorly fed brain becomes lethargic and dysfunctional.
Other activities look more appealing.
If you seldom make time or find opportunity to do the things you enjoy most, you may end up substituting other pastimes in place of your allotted writing time. We all need joyful leisure, so make sure to schedule enough so that you won’t be more tempted to fill in writing time with non-related playtime.
Lack of privacy or personal time.
Too many interruptions or too little time to oneself stymies the creative flow. The prospect of beginning any writing project with the anticipation of disturbance can fill a writer with dread. Not only that, but a writer who has to struggle to cut out personal and work time from his or her day may feel resentment toward not only those things and people doing the disturbing, but also toward the activity being interrupted.
Stressful schedule outside of writing.
It may be that you have a stress-filled life outside of your writing. If there are things bothering you about your day job, or problems among family members, then you may have to resolve these other issues before you can get at the roots of any aversions you may have developed. For example, it may be guilt over needing to fix a troubled relationship that’s keeping you from writing time.
Subconscious, unrealistic expectations.
If you dig deep enough for the reason for your resistance to writing, you can discover that you may be holding unrealistic expectations for yourself concerning what it means to be a writer, or what you should get out of the experience of being one. Do you think you’re not really capable of finishing that book you started? What if nobody likes what you wrote? Or maybe you will recognize fears you have over quitting or losing your paying job, and trying to make a living at home.
Wrong day/days scheduled for writing.
It’s also possible that your writer’s block may be due to poor timing. If you write regularly on certain days of the week that coincide with conflicting activities or other personal events, you might be influenced negatively. If your writing session falls on laundry day, your husband’s slowest day at work (when he texts you all the time), garbage and recycle pick-up day, and the afternoon all the neighborhood kids like to come hang out in your basement, it may be that you’ll be better off moving your writing day over one on the calendar. If you want to write all week long, you may have to schedule some working hours over at the local doughnut shop, down at the park under a tree, or beneath a set of expensive headphones.
Of course, there are many other reasons you may find yourself blunted by writer’s block. It could be you are performing unfulfilling writing practices (too much, too little, boring), writing about trite subjects, or taking on unsustainable projects. You may be experiencing emotional resistance, due to situational loss, grief, or anger, etc. There is also the possibility that you don’t want to write at all, but may not be able to admit it to yourself. Whatever the reason, take some time to discover it.
When you work directly on the problem causing your aversion, you are less likely to experience “writer’s block” as an incurable affliction. Then, if you find yourself feeling idea-less, you can try using a writer’s prompt, from any source at all, to get you kickstarted in your next writing session.