Every creative writer knows what it’s like to have writer’s block.
Hours of staring at a blank page, knowing that anything you write is going to be, well, terrible.
When you know you need to keep writing and you do try, but your creative juices have long dried up and your muse seems to have taken a long-ish hike.
Writer’s block can be agonizing and often tends to stem from being in a bad place mentally. It can last for days, weeks or, in some cases, years.
No one is immune to writer’s block. Even world-renowned, highly successful writers like Truman Capote, Stephen King, and Virginia Woolf have had long periods devoid of productivity.
The ancient Greeks and Romans sought inspiration from a muse or prayed for divine intervention.
Many modern-day writers try to ignore the problem, dismissing it as a simple case of boredom or tiredness. But hoping it will go away won’t make it go away.
So, What Exactly Is Writer’s Block?
The term “writer’s block” was coined in the 1940s by American psychologist Edmund Berger, and it has been extensively used since then. It describes a psychological condition wherein a skilled or professional writer has the desire to write but is unable to do so. Some experience this as a momentary loss of motivation and creativity; others use the term to characterize long periods of anguish linked to their inability to write.
What Causes Writer’s Block?
In the 1970s, Michael Barrios and Jerome Singer, two clinical psychologists at Yale University, sought to pinpoint the causes of writer’s block. They tracked a diverse group of writers suffering from the condition and eventually identified four major causes:
- Excessive self-criticism
- Comparison with other writers
- Lack of internal motivation (the urge to narrate a story)
- Lack of attention, praise, or other extrinsic rewards
Regardless of the cause, writer’s block remains a limiting self-belief that thwarts the writing process; in many cases, however, there are ways to unlock creativity and recharge the well of inspiration.
5 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block
Don’t let writer’s block cramp your style. These time-tested tips are guaranteed to get you back into your writing groove!
1. Establishing a Writing Schedule
All writers need talent, inspiration, and creativity to succeed at their craft. But many fail to realize that maintaining a regular writing schedule is crucial to becoming (and remaining) a productive, prolific writer. It’s easy to fall into the trap of procrastination, or not achieve your writing goals, when you don’t have a well-established routine. Writing only when you “feel creative” won’t get you far with writing that novel or play; good work habits are key when faced with lack of motivation or lowered productivity.
Your writing schedule depends on your personal circumstances as well as your strengths and weaknesses; obviously, what works for one writer will not work equally well for another. The right schedule, however, should allow you to be as dedicated and productive as possible, and help you balance your writing and other aspects of your life.
2. Practicing Freewriting Assiduously
It is possible to freewrite your way out of writer’s block. Freewriting is the process of writing without pause for a predetermined amount of time – with no regard for topic, grammar, or spelling. Just pick a random theme or subject and start writing, without a goal or direction in sight. It doesn’t matter if your writing is totally unrelated to your current project. As the name suggests, freewriting aims to free writers from self-consciousness, self-doubt, and self-criticism – all of which are linked to writer’s block.
Find a place where you won’t be disturbed, set a time limit (10 minutes will do nicely if this is your first time) and write! As you get more comfortable with freewriting, you can increase the time limit. Understand that with freewriting, there’s no goal to achieve or destination to reach. The process is important, not the outcome.
Freewriting is all about going deep within and discovering yourself. It helps you tear down emotional barriers, builds confidence, and boosts motivation. It also makes your writing more genuine and reaffirms your commitment to your writing. It is a great habit to develop and it works even better if you do it without the aid of technology. Just find a notebook and pen and get cracking!
3. Using Writing Prompts
Writing prompts aren’t just devised to help rookie writers. Seasoned writers who struggle with beginning their writing routine can also get their creative juices flowing with questions, instructions, or scenarios that inspire them to write. Not only do writing prompts help you exercise those writing muscles, they might even help expand a simple exercise into a larger piece of writing.
Writing prompts even widen your horizons and allow you to write outside your chosen genre. You may have found your niche as a writer, but you’ll realise that each session with a writing prompt exposes you to subjects and worlds you would otherwise ignore.
By providing new focus and new landscapes to the jaded creative brain, writing prompts smash through writer’s block and bring freshness to your other, regular writing. They have even been known to inspire entire storylines and projects. Like freewriting, the practice of using prompts encourages writing that is unhindered by self-edits and allows the best ideas, plots, and metaphors to come forth and shine. It (temporarily) blocks your inner editor and lets imagination soar. Writer’s block will be a distant memory if you let writing prompts have their way!
4. Doing Your Research
One of the most frivolous (and avoidable) reasons to freeze in your writing tracks is the lack of research. If you’re not 100% certain of the facts you’re jotting down, your mind is likely to go blank and falter for words. Gather as much information/ideas on your chosen topic as possible before you commence writing. Even if you think those ideas aren’t relevant or appropriate right now, they might lead to better ideas for your project. Having a large number of ideas allows you to go full steam ahead with your writing.
On the flip side, too much research can be dangerous. If you’re researching more than you’re actually writing, you’re using research as a distraction to avoid facing your fear of writing. The aim is to have all the information you need to kick-start your imagination and make writing a breeze.
5. Looking for the Root Causes
As Barrios and Singer pointed out, writer’s block is actually a symptom of a much more complicated condition than a mere “lack of inspiration.” You (and maybe your therapist) need to dig deeper and understand the source of the condition. Here are some fundamental questions you can ask yourself about your writer’s block.
- Do I feel the pressure to succeed and/or avoid comparison with other (more successful) writers?
- Have I lost confidence in my writing abilities, even if I’m a seasoned writer?
- Have I lost interest in writing?
- Is it simply fatigue/lack of sleep/an unhealthy lifestyle that makes me feel too tired and run-down to write?
- Have I avoided writing for so long that the mere act intimidates me?
- Does my first draft fail to meet my impossibly high expectations?
There is a different solution to each of these problems; if you can get to the root of the issue, it will be so much easier to fix. Remember, the longer you put off dealing with the underlying causes of your malady, the longer it will last.
So, there you have it – five ways to beat writer’s block! Now, let those words find their way back to you!
