Thread: writers block

Any tips on how to get through a writers block?

Try drinking heavily. It worked for Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Kerouac, Capote etc. Just take care not to overdo it.

This has to be one of the most frequent topics on the site. Writers' block doesn't exist. Al you have to do is write, simple.

Think of a person, someone you've never seen or met, create him or her, both physically and psychologically, which will take at least a day, maybe two, but begin. With the color of his hair, say, the way he walks. What he or she likes, to eat, to see at the movies. And then move onto place, the setting of your first scene, describe it as fully as you can, again this is stuff you're logging for future use. And finally, for that first, very tentative scene, add some dialogue, however banal it may seem, just him or her talking, doing. And see after a while if something interesting from this doesn't emerge, something you'd like to watch and listen to from a distance.

Buy a bottle of Ex-Lax and prepare a variety of spicy Mexican nachos and give yourself an ultimatum that if you don't write at least 500 words in the next hour, you'll eat the chips and skull the bottle.

As Baron says, writer's block doesn't exist. Failure, and the fear of it, does.

Saying writers block doesn't exist is or saying "just write" is simplistic, not simple. It's possible to be at a place where you're not satisfied with anything you write, and "just writing" is a waste of effort and can lead to more frustration. It could be fear of failure, or there could be other things going on in your life that are too distracting or stressful. Regardless, it isn't happening.

Someone will invariable say, well, if you had a contract or some other sort of outside pressure, you'd have to write -- but if that's not the case, then that thinking won't make any difference. And manufactured deadlines or consequences don't work for some people.

If writers block means you literally can't write -- you can't make your fingers work the keyboard -- then I'd go so far as to say it doesn't exist. Otherwise, there can be real forces, imagined or real that might keep someone from writing or at least writing anything they consider worthwhile.

The key would be recognizing the underlying problems and trying to work through them. I've done that. Sometimes "just writing" isn't enough -- I've tried that too and it's not always the solution.

Joseph, it's very rare that you hear writers' block being spoken about by professional writers. If they have bills to pay then it's a luxury they can't afford. It really is that simple.

Baron, I addressed that -- and if you aren't a professional writer, it doesn't apply. So really, it's not that simple.

"Accept your limitations and sure enough they're yours." - Richard Bach.

Wow. You should put that on t-shirts and coffee mugs. But I didn't say anything about accepting anything -- only that there might underlying causes and ways to deal with them other than "just write" -- which isn't always the solution for everyone.

Originally Posted by JosephB

Wow. You should put that on t-shirts and coffee mugs.

Excellent. That's pretty much where it belongs. Or on those posters, reversed to white over a sunset.

Feel free to add your own slogan.

Where did you hear about Writer's Block? Because I've been writing long before I knew forums like this existed and I never heard tell of it until I joined one. Then I had to go look it up to find out what all the fuss was. I've never suffered from it. I don't allow myself to do so because I don't believe it exists. I wrote a string of novels and never once hit a blip because I loved every minute of it and couldn't wait to write the next scene.

So I come back to a point I made a while back on this forum. 'Writer's block' is not what ails you. It's expectation. By placing a burden of expectation on yourself, you become unhappy with everything you write and that leads to discontent and a feeling that you can't write anything. Unfortunately, though, Baron is right. Professional authors rarely suffer from writer's block. So maybe that means you need to take a more professional standpoint when you write. That means self-discipling yourself to believe writer's block is just a figment of your imagination.

Originally Posted by Sam W

By placing a burden of expectation on yourself, you become unhappy with everything you write and that leads to discontent and a feeling that you can't write anything.

Writers block exists and you’ve just described one of the causes. Whether or not it’s a “feeling” is irrelevant. It’s very real to the writer.

There are strategies to overcome it. One of them might be “just write.” But that could mean writing some poetry or taking a break from your novel and writing a short story. Or it might mean just taking a break from writing altogether. It might mean asking someone to read your work so you can get another perspective. Setting deadlines or goals or setting aside a certain time of day that you write could work too. That might be what you consider taking “a more professional standpoint when you write.” And if that works – great. That means the writer has overcome his writer's block -– it doesn’t mean that writer’s block doesn’t exist.

Even so, simply saying “professional authors rarely suffer from writer's block” doesn’t mean much if you aren’t a professional. It’s a different dynamic and motivation altogether -- and it might not be possible to manufacture the same frame of mind. I do something creative for a living and I experience “blocks” too. Yes, I always manage to get it done -- but I’ve also recognized how to mostly avoid or work through periods where nothing is happening.

Telling someone who’s going through something that is very real to him that the problem doesn’t exist or is all in his mind is seldom effective – especially when the manifestation of it is real and if there are real underlying causes, like stress or other life issues or legitimate distractions.

But of course, you've never experienced writer’s block, so it doesn’t exist. And your experience applies to everyone on the planet.