The Brewster’s dictionary defines writer’s block as – “A periodic lack of inspiration that can descend on the most experienced of writers and that results in an almost pathological inability to put pen to paper.”
As a kid, I used to wonder how it was possible for anyone to have writer’s block. Would the thoughts in a person’s head just disappear? I was quite convinced, as only a kid could be, that I could never experience writer’s block. I was a magical, special creation and God had given me this brilliant gift. How then could I possibly be bereft of creative thoughts one day, all of a sudden? When one day, all of a sudden, arrived in 2003, I couldn’t believe it. I would sit and stare at a sheet of paper for weeks and nothing came out. My head was literally empty.
There are a wide variety of things that can cause writer’s block. Personally, I’ve discovered extremely traumatic episodes trigger substantially long periods of blockage. An episode in 2003 ensured I didn’t write a word till 2005 and an even more traumatic episode in 2007 obliterated all creative ability till late 2008. For the past week or so, I’ve been suffering another bout but this time it had nothing to do with trauma. I’d become so completely obsessed with writing the perfect artist’s statement and work sample, my brain was no longer willing to produce content for rewrites.
I practiced most of the points below and if spitting out this post today is any proof, I guess you could say I’ve made some kind of return.
As a kid, I used to wonder how it was possible for anyone to have writer’s block. Would the thoughts in a person’s head just disappear? I was quite convinced, as only a kid could be, that I could never experience writer’s block. I was a magical, special creation and God had given me this brilliant gift. How then could I possibly be bereft of creative thoughts one day, all of a sudden? When one day, all of a sudden, arrived in 2003, I couldn’t believe it. I would sit and stare at a sheet of paper for weeks and nothing came out. My head was literally empty.
There are a wide variety of things that can cause writer’s block. Personally, I’ve discovered extremely traumatic episodes trigger substantially long periods of blockage. An episode in 2003 ensured I didn’t write a word till 2005 and an even more traumatic episode in 2007 obliterated all creative ability till late 2008. For the past week or so, I’ve been suffering another bout but this time it had nothing to do with trauma. I’d become so completely obsessed with writing the perfect artist’s statement and work sample, my brain was no longer willing to produce content for rewrites.
I practiced most of the points below and if spitting out this post today is any proof, I guess you could say I’ve made some kind of return.
- Make certain that you are actually having a writer’s block and not giving yourself an excuse not to write.
- Identify the cause.
- Step away, very far away, from the cause of the block. If you can’t identify it, step away from anything related to the word, “literary” – books, manuscripts, etc.
- Pick up and focus on a general hobby for a bit. This needs some kind of deadline. A week, a month, 2 months. Just make sure it doesn’t turn into forever.
- After the break, read a book outside the genre you usually read. For instance if your favourite reading is romance, pick up a thriller. If it’s thriller, pick up a chick lit novel. Something completely opposite to what you would normally read. This may or may not jump-start your brain.
- Write nonsense. Literally. Write about anything that comes into your head unrelated to the project that caused the block e.g. I went out today and I saw a guy with 5 chickens strapped around his waist and a kettle on his head. You get the drift.
- I don’t really believe in reading a book that helps to overcome writer’s block but if I had to choose one, I would have to say "Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul
." This book always gets me going but of course, read it only after the break.
If you ever come up against writer’s block, remember some of the greatest writers in the world suffered writer’s block at one time or the other. If they could come back to produce amazing literary pieces, so can you.
