There is no other greater enemy to a writer’s creativity than having writers block. Having a staring contest with the screen and a blank page staring back is a nightmare I seem to be living every other month. The question then is, how do I overcome writer’s block?
What is writer’s block?
A quick google search would tell you that a writer block is a “writer’s inability to produce or continue working on a piece of writing.” What it doesn’t tell you is all the frustrations that come with not being able to put our thoughts into words or the excruciating feeling of being stuck.
What I picture happens when I get writer’s block is a little version of me staring at a brick wall. On the other side of the brick wall are all of the ideas that seem to go into hiding the second my fingers touch the keys. The little version of me is trying everything to get to the other side of the brick wall but she just cannot get to the other side.
Writer’s block looks different on every writer, taking different forms of frustration and anxiety. But the more important task at hand is not just to write anymore, it is finding out why we’re experiencing writer’s block.
what causes the block?
There are many different reasons someone could be experiencing writer’s block. Here are just a few that I have dealt with:
- Fear
- Perfectionism
- Stress
- Exhaustion
- Procrastination
- Lack of ideas
- Lack of motivation
As someone who chronically needs every written piece to be as perfect as possible, I find myself not just procrastinating to start, but also becoming exceedingly frustrated before I even begin. Then there is the fear of failing which puts a screeching stop to any effort little me could make to get past that brick wall. Instead she pulls up a chair and stares at the brick wall contemplating if it is even worth it to get past it.
Understanding why we are experiencing a block can help guide us on how we should remedy and hopefully, overcome the block as quickly as possible.
Is there a quick fix?
In my experience, there is no easy way to get out of a block.
Despite how many tips or tricks I see online, they never are the quick fix they claim to be. However, not all hope is lost in finding some advice on how to get out of our creative dilemma.
Not so surprisingly, Purdue Owl has a few “cures” for academic writers. With a list of common scenarios many students find themselves in followed by some remedy recommendation. The tips range from taking a short break to reminding ourselves that the first draft is not the final draft and to just start writing, doing the editing later.
However, not all of our writing is for academic purposes, which means we need to get creative sometimes.
When it comes to combating my fear of failure, I remind myself of a short essay titled “Failure is Not an Option” by Allison Carr. Despite the misleading title, the essay begins about how failure has been tied to many negative characteristics like weakness or laziness which can explain why writers have a fear of failing. But Carr states that “to fail willingly in writing is to be empowered by the possibilities that emerge,” and that is something I like to remind myself about. In other words, failing can be the beginning of something new, maybe even better.
Whether we’re trying to write in or out of school, overcoming the block is possible. The remedy could be a much needed break or pushing ourselves to just start writing and edit it at the end— either way, writers can get through it.
the end?
Writer’s block is not the end, though it might feel like it is. Eventually the little version of us will make it to the other side of the brick wall and write once again.