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How to Stop Writer’s Block in Its Tracks
Writer’s block is real. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines writer’s block as: the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.
We’ve all been through this scenario — we want to write, but we can’t seem to get the words on the page. The idea of sitting down to write makes you break out in a rash. A week goes by with no writing. Then a month, then a year. When anyone asks, we say we have writer’s block. It’s not our fault!
Feeling stuck with our writing is terrifying, particularly if we have a goal or a deadline, or if we need to write to make our living.
But the thing is, it often is our fault. Writer’s block is self-imposed 99%* of the time. The other 1% isn’t really writer’s block at all (natural disasters or huge life changes, for example, might make you not be able to write for a time…but if it keeps going after the danger has passed, it’s likely you are blocking yourself).
Causes of Writer’s Block and Solutions
What causes us to create writer’s block in our lives? Notice that most of these are internal or solvable.
Mindset — Self-doubt, perfectionism, our beliefs about writing, our abilities, the prospect of success.
Solution — Try journaling, in particular gratitude journaling. Make lists of writing accomplishments, kudos, nice things others have said about your writing. Write about how grateful you are to have language at your fingertips to express yourself. Write about what you’ve written in the past that you’re proud of…as if you’re telling someone about it. Write about how great you feel when you’re writing! What feelings does it invoke when you’re in the zone or have a great idea and it just flows? Make a list of all the things you feel are stopping you from writing, and then put on your “author coach” hat and reply to each item, indicating how you would coach someone else to get over these issues. As you start to think from a different perspective, you may find yourself feeling a little more ready to write. And if that doesn’t work…maybe actually hire an author motivator or coach to help you!
Not making time — To contemplate, plan, think about our characters and the story we want to tell, wasting time on things that aren’t writing related (no matter how much we tell ourselves we’re “researching”).
Solution — We all have the same amount of time in a day, from best-selling authors to the newest writer on the block. It’s all in how we prioritize those hours and how we look at them. I used to think I needed a full day to write to “get anything done.” I created my own kind of writer’s block by insisting that it was all or nothing, instead of realizing that writing for an hour, or thirty minutes, or ten minutes, is still writing, and it would eventually lead to a book. Rethink your definition of how much time you need to write and then figure out a new schedule that works for you instead of paralyzing you.
Too much noise — Social media, environment, reading too much about writing without actually applying any of it.
Solution — Turn it off. Turn off social media, podcasts, audio books, all those things that are constantly in your ear 24/7 (raising my hand guiltily here!). I love to learn, and my favorite way to do so is to listen to podcasts or audiobooks. Any time I’m not working, I’m listening. In the car, as I do my chores, sometimes even as I fall asleep at night! The problem is that your brain can’t think about your book and pay attention to whatever you’re listening to at the same time. It’s only as I’ve remembered how much of my books I cooked up while lying in bed at night or while driving in my car (usually talking aloud to myself), that I realized the incessant noise in my ears was blocking out all my creativity…and thus blocking me from creating anything new to write.
Analysis paralysis — Giving yourself too many options instead of just choosing one and moving forward.
Solution — Pick something. Anything. Are you stuck because you don’t know what genre to write in, because you love so many? Pick one. Any one. Decide you’re going to start with YA and see how that goes. It may not turn out to be where you eventually end up, but it’s starting somewhere and getting back into the habit of writing. If you can’t decide where to write, at home, at the coffee shop…pick one and try it. Maybe you won’t like it…and then you can pick another place. Hint: You can change it up! Just don’t let the analysis of what to do paralyze you and prevent you from doing anything at all.
Worry about getting it right — Your words aren’t great, you don’t know how to write this.
Solution — Give yourself permission to get it “wrong.” (Nothing is ever really wrong if you consider it an exploration or an experiment!) Free write with no purpose. Write that secret idea you’ve had in the back of your mind for years that you think would be too hard. Heck, write about how awful writer’s block is and how you’ll never get past it. And then brainstorm all the ways you can get past it. Giving yourself permission to write something other than what you’re “supposed to write” might just help you break that block.
Trying to write the wrong thing (for you) — Writing in a genre that doesn’t fit your writing voice, trying to force what you do write into the wrong genre.
Solution — If you’re trying to write [inserted genre here] because it’s popular, but it’s not what you read or like to write, that could be contributing to your writer’s block. Instead, make a list of what you love to read and, more than that, what the elements are that you love about what you love to read! For example, if you’re trying to write historical romance, because that’s what you love to read, but find that you’re blocked more than you’re not, what is it about the historical romances that you love? Is it the humor of a particular author? Is it when there’s great banter between characters? Really answering the question of “why” you like something might tell you that it’s not about the genre but the style of writing of a particular author. And if that’s your style, too, and you do it well, then maybe you just need to take that voice and apply it somewhere else.
Comparison with others — You’ll never be as good as so and so, you’ll never make that much money writing, you want to write that genre, but don’t think you can.
Solution —This is most likely a bad case of imposter syndrome. Remind yourself that every writer has felt this from time to time, no matter now “famous” they are now (even Neil Gaiman!). It’s also good to look at things from the perspective of a “growth mindset,” remembering that you can learn to be a better writer through practice and working on your craft. No one is expecting what you write to be perfect right now. With editing (both self-editing and by hiring an editor), you can refine and improve your prose to make it stronger. And someday, there might be another writer comparing themselves to you!
Rebellion — You’re being told you have to write a certain way, or write a certain thing, and you don’t want to, so you rebel against it by telling yourself you can’t write at all.
Solution — Remind yourself that there are many different processes for writing as there are writers. There are dozens of genres and styles of writing to choose from. And there are successful writers in all of those! Stop listening to what others say (see “Too much noise” above) and do what you want to do. No one else’s process or genre or voice is yours, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Burnout — You’ve been writing at a furious pace for years and suddenly hit a wall. It’s not writer’s block…it’s your body and mind telling you they’ve had enough.
Solution — Take a break! If you’re lucky, and paying attention, you can catch this before it happens, and start taking better care of yourself, but if you’re already in full burnout mode, just stop. Take care of yourself, tell yourself you’re not allowed to write for a week or two, and practice some radical self-care. Take long baths or walks, get a facial or manicure, eat better, drink more water, exercise. Take yourself on an “artist’s date” as author Julia Cameron calls them. You can think about your story, but not about writing.
Last-Ditch Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block
Don’t try to use willpower to overcome it — Powering through usually won’t work. You have to fix what’s causing the block in order to banish it. Forcing things is just going to make you more frustrated as you resist the feeling of not being able to write. I spent a lot of years after my last novel was published, in 2010, trying and trying and trying to write. Every month, I’d attend writer’s group meetings and get all jazzed up again. I was going to go home and write! And then I wouldn’t. Willpower couldn’t make me write, and the more I tried to use that method, the more I felt like a failure. The more frustrated I got that it wasn’t working.
Stop writing — I imagine some of you rebellious types might have their writer’s block broken simply by me telling you to stop writing! But, I’m serious. Along with not being able to use willpower to just push past the block, you can only figure out what’s causing the block by stopping the writing. Temporarily. I’m not asking you to stop writing forever. Giving yourself permission to take a break for a day, week, month, or more, might be just what you need, because maybe you’re near burnout and just need rest.
I haven’t written fiction for about twelve years now. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done to tell my friends and family that I was “no longer writing.” I was done. However, it was strangely freeing! I no longer said I had writer’s block. I just said I was no longer a writer. I put all my stuff away and the pressure valve released, and I felt an amazing sense of relief. But, with time, the urge has started to return. I’m sure it would have returned sooner if I’d worked through some of the above steps for getting over writer’s block, so take a break and get to the bottom of the issue. Then get back to it with a new perspective and mindset!
With the freedom from pressure, you can work through some of the solutions above to figure out what’s causing your writer’s block and how you might get over it. You’ve got this!
* Totally made-up statistic, but you get the picture!
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