Unlock Writer’s Block

Have you ever wondered whether writer’s block is really real, whether it is a true psychological problem that many writers, including myself, often claim thwarts their attempts to freely write their hearts out on the page? I have.

What does writer’s block feel like?

It feels like a wall, some say, that blocks their path on the writing road, prevents them from moving around it to the other side where they’ve traveled before when they wrote. They say “We want to write, but just can’t.” When that happens, some bear down with fierce determination—typified by clenched jaws and scowling brows—but that only makes matters worse.

On the other hand, some writers assert writer’s block does not exist. It is just a term to disguise fear, or laziness, or lack of gumption. It’s an excuse, they say, for avoiding the work. Just get your butt in the chair, we’re told, and do it. Sometimes that’s good advice; other times it’s not.

If we want to write so badly, then why do we avoid it? Like most things, the answer varies per person. There is a high probability that no definitive answer exists to unlocking writer’s block, but here are a few insights.

What’s really going with writer’s block?

The Beginning Writer’s Answer Book, edited by Kirk Polking (Writers Digest Books, 1993) includes some useful insights on this topic in “Chapter 34: How Do I Cope with Rejections and Writer’s Block?”

Q. What causes writer’s block and how can I combat it?

A.  Ask twenty writers what causes writer’s block, and you’ll probably get twenty different answers. The causes of writer’s block usually don’t have anything to do with writing, but rather are connected to factors that serve to distract the writer, keeping him from concentrating on his craft. Overwork is one such factor. A writer who is fatigued from overwork should stop writing for a couple of days. Financial worries, personal problems and illnesses all could keep a writer from his work.

Freelancer Brian Vachon says that a writer should make sure he wants to write about his current subject; if you’re trying to make yourself write about something you just don’t like, your mind could be rebelling.

Anxiety about the quality of writing is a frequently cited cause of writer’s block. Novelist Dean Koontz claims this is easily solved: “Read a novel by a really bad writer whose work you despise, and tell yourself, ‘If this junk can get into print, publishers will fight one another for the rights to my book’.”

Unlock your mind, unblock the writing

If we’re distracted or upset over an unresolved problem, as suggested above, then let’s try our best to either solve it or compartmentalize it until we can resolve it. Imagine the problem is a chair. Place it in another room and shut the door. Return to writing. Or write the issue on notepaper and seal it in an envelope to deal with later. Or if it’s a matter beyond your control to solve, let it go.

Change up your writing setup

Sometimes it’s the way you are working that needs to change, not your mind. Perhaps choose another topic to write about. Or instead of writing on a computer, write longhand in a notebook, or yellow legal pad. Years ago, my husband, instead of doing the actual writing himself, dictated his book and another person transcribed it. Maybe what you need is something as simple as a different desk, a new lampshade, or soft music in the background. Experiment.

Just remember you are a writer. Your writing really does matter, especially to your own wellbeing. In Brenda Ueland’s gem of a book, If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit, she comforts us: “Inspiration comes very slowly and quietly.” She assures us we “are going to write, to tell something on paper, sooner or later.”