How to Overcome The Infamous Writer’s Block
If you are a writer like me, you have probably experienced the infamous writer’s block at least once in your life. If you are not a writer, chances are you have still experienced this phenomenon. It could have occurred when writing an essay for school, or even typing up an important email. I want to dive a little deeper into the subject of writer’s block and examine exactly what it is, why it happens, and how to overcome it!
What is writer’s block?
Writer’s block is when a person comes to a halt in their writing and can no longer creatively continue their work because they cannot brainstorm new ideas. Essentially, they experience a long-lasting ‘brain fart’ moment where they cannot think of anything compelling or worthwhile to write about.
Why does writer’s block happen?
There is no 100% science-backed reason for why writer’s block may occur. Furthermore, it would also be ignorant to say everybody will experience writer’s block for the same reason. It is not a one size fits all problem, and that means it is not a one size fits all solution, either. However, there are some pretty common reasons as to why writer’s block might happen:
Too Much Pressure
If your standards for your writing are too high, there is a good chance you might feel overwhelmed and begin putting too much pressure on yourself and on your writing.
High standards is a good thing, but not if it affects you and your abilities in a negative way.
Chances are you are a writer because you truly enjoy it. Maybe it is your 9-5 job, and maybe it pays the bills. Or maybe it doesn’t and it’s just something you are doing for fun. Either way, you are doing it because you get a sense of purpose out of it.
Or maybe you are writing for your least favorite class in school, and you have no choice, and it’s due at midnight and you are still on page one…ugh. We’ve all been there before.
No matter what the case is, take a moment to find your reason for writing. If you are writing for fun or because you enjoy writing, then this should be easy. Take a deep breath, take a moment, and write from a place of enjoyment, passion, and happiness.
If you are writing out the necessity for a class in school, or another task that you are not passionate about, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Ask yourself, “how will writing this get me one step closer to my ultimate goal?”
Also remember, writing something that isn’t perfect or only 85% of the way there is 100x better than not getting anything out at all.
Flow out the Bad Ideas
Sometimes, to get to our best and most brilliant ideas, we need to get rid of all the bad ideas first. After all, most of your ideas will be bad. If everybody could come up with good ideas it wouldn’t be all too impressive. It is healthy for your mind and for your work to get out the bad ideas early on, especially in the writing process.
One trick to do this is to just free-write. Give yourself the authority to write like crap. Write whatever comes to your mind and have an ugly, crappy, embarrassing first draft. Just focus on getting your main thoughts and points across. You can go back later to fix the spelling and grammatical errors. You can go back later to add in examples that pop into your mind after the fact, or to add in resources. For now, just focus on getting your main points across, and you will get inspired from there.
If you are stuck in such a rut, that you cannot even think of your main points you want to get across, or cannot even think of a topic to write about, try this:
Write 3 pages nonstop.
That’s right, write 3 full pages without picking up your pen from paper or without lifting your fingers from the keyboard. This means that you will be writing about whatever comes into your mind.
Random thoughts? Jot them down!
Pointless nonsense? Yes, please!
Even write about how much you hate writing these 3 pages if you have to!
Just free flow write for 3 pages straight. There is no need to analyze anything. Honestly, there is no need to even think! Your subconscious will do all the thinking for you. Afterward, you will find that your mind is much more clear and you will now be ready to do some actual writing for your topic. This trick is like meditation for your writing, and it’s a powerful one.
Outside Issues
Maybe you aren’t putting too much pressure on your writing and you thoroughly enjoy it.
Maybe you are full of great ideas and you don’t need to flow out the bad ones.
It’s possible that your writer’s block has nothing to do with your writing. It can be that your mind is preoccupied with problems going on in your personal life.
If this is the case, I highly recommend focusing first on your personal issues that have become so severe that they are spilling into your work/hobby. Go see a licensed, professional therapist if necessary and/or talk to your doctor. Work on fixing these personal issues first, then get back to serious writing.
Outline
Another trick is to first create an outline. Personally, I enjoy being more of a “free” writer, which means I do not use outlines most of the time. However, if you are stuck on your topic, an outline can help you organize your thoughts and concisely make it clear what to write about next. Here is a helpful article that dives deeper into outlines, as well as provides a sample outline.
Next time you feel like you are struggling with writer’s block, try out these tips and let me know how they work for you at eric@ericgolban.com!
Best,
Eric