When your mind goes blank and you forget how to word, what do you do?
We’ve all been there.
You sit down to write and the words just don’t come. Doesn’t matter what you’re trying to write — novel, short story, article, essay, school assignment. You could be a new writer or an experienced one.
Do you have writer’s block and, if so, what causes it?
We all have our own motivations and things going on in our lives. My block is not the same as your block which is not the same as the next writer’s block.
The only similarity is that none of us is writing.
Is it real or is it an excuse?
Writer’s block feels very real. But is it?
If you think you have writer’s block, before you do anything else, ask yourself if it’s real or just an excuse.
Are you procrastinating or being lazy? Are you looking for an excuse to not write? Are you trying to pass the blame for not writing onto an external factor, so you don’t have to take responsibility?
Only you can answer this, but be honest. If the answer is ‘yes, I’m looking for an excuse because I really don’t want to write this’, then only you can do something about it. Take responsibility, sit down, and start writing.
Or is there something else going on?
Writers are a strange bunch.
We’re diverse in heritage, culture, experience, lifestyle, interests, knowledge, skills, abilities. But most writers do share some similarities. A lot of us are introverts, we worry a lot, we question ourselves. Some days we just can’t start, or we come to a complete stop and can’t move forward.
The following are some of the things that stop me from writing.
For now, I’ll keep it brief, otherwise this article will end up too long. Instead, I’ll give each of these its own article in the next few days and include more suggestions for how to get the words flowing again.
1. FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt)
FUD makes me question my skills, my abilities, my knowledge, and myself.
My mind freezes and the word train sits at the station, chugging but going nowhere.
I’ve noticed, from wandering the internet while not writing, that FUD affects most writers to some degree. Imposter syndrome is one symptom that afflicts not just writers, but all types of people from all walks of life.
To push past FUD, you need to be aware of your inner thoughts and what’s going on in your head. Are you scared, unsure, questioning your ability to do this? What barriers have you put up?
Only you know the extent of your FUD. Only you can move past it and get that train moving again. No one else can do your writing for you (unless, of course, you hire a ghostwriter).
The more you write and put yourself out there, the easier it gets to quell the voices in your head.
“The only cure for not being able to write is to write.” Kaylin R. Boyd
2. Weak idea
A weak or illogical idea can slam on the brakes.
Your brain knows there’s something wrong, so it dams the word river.
The problem may not be immediately obvious to you because you’re too close to your idea. But sometimes when the words dry up, it means there’s something wrong. It could be characters, or plot, or the underlying idea itself. Maybe you don’t know where it’s going or how to get there or it’s just not strong enough to last the entire length of your piece.
Revisit your idea and assumptions. Look for things that don’t make sense. Pretend you’re explaining your idea to a stranger. Be ruthless. Don’t be afraid to change things.
“A little writer’s block can be a good thing. Your inner-literary critic’s way of gently letting you know you’re really stinking up the joint. You’re off track. Lost in the weeds. Need to go back and rethink things.” Quentin R. Bufogle
3. Perfectionism
Do you struggle to add new words to your story because you’re too busy fiddling with what’s already there? Never quite happy with what you’ve already written and you never seem to get closer to the end?
I’m guilty of this. I have way too many half-drafts languishing on my computer taking up space. Disk space and mental space.
Let yourself write badly. Without looking back, write to the end. When you get to the end, then go back and make it better.
After all, nobody publishes a first draft.
“Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for ‘better than yesterday’.” Izey Victoria Odiase, 99 Quotes and Affirmations For Self-Love & Personal Development
4. No ideas
Can’t write because you don’t know what to write about?
I used to think this was a valid reason for not writing. I no longer think that.
I now know that ideas are everywhere.
The trick is noticing them.
Become a better observer. Notice things that surprise you but also things your brain usually ignores. That bright red dress amongst a field of grey. That old couch sitting in your grandmother’s living room. The poster stuck to the traffic light pole inviting you to an event.
What stories do they tell? What emotions do they evoke? Write about that.
“Let’s get one thing clear right now, shall we? There is no Idea Dump, no Story Central, no Island of the Buried Bestsellers; good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky: two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn’t to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up.” Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
5. Can’t capture your thoughts
The best way of understanding what you know, and what you don’t know, is to try to put your thoughts into words.
If you can’t write it, then maybe you don’t know what you’re trying to say or what you truly think.
Do some more research. Be honest with yourself about your beliefs and assumptions. Be clear about what you’re trying to say. You don’t have to say it all at once.
Remember, you don’t have to write from A to Z. You can jump around and write D, M, K, L, V, H, any time you want. Move them into order later.
“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
6. Other issues in your life
If you can’t think, you can’t write.
Only you know what’s going on in your life. We all have days where it feels like we’re walking around in a fog that never clears. For some of us, those days can turn into months and years.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Do what you need to do to get through the day. If that includes not writing, then so be it. In most cases, you don’t have to write right now.
Do something else. Read. Go for a walk. Bake a cake. Write a shopping list. Just don’t sit there day after day in front of the judgemental blank page and blinking cursor. That doesn’t help. Believe me, I’ve tried.
“Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.” Ray Bradbury
There are many more causes of writer’s block than what I’ve mentioned here. This is just a sample of things that I experience. None of them ever goes away, but there are ways to push past and keep going.
As mentioned earlier, I’ll be publishing separate articles on each of these with further suggestions of things to try if you’re struggling with writer’s block.
If you really get stuck, you can always write about not writing. That’s what I do.
“Writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all” Charles Bukowski, The Last Night of the Earth Poems
