This article explores the facts and fiction around writer’s block, the psychology of why it happens, and the writing productivity strategies you can use to beat it for good.
Take an idea from your brain and put it on the page. It sounds simple enough, right? But all writers know, it’s not that straightforward.
Writer’s block is a “temporary or lasting failure to put words on paper.” It can last for a few minutes, days, weeks, or even months.
When you desperately want to write, experiencing a block can be frustrating and disheartening. Writer’s block affects everyone from beginners to famous, prolific, published authors, and everyone in between. If you’re feeling this way with your current writing project, you’re not alone. All is not lost. There is hope.
Whether you’re gearing up to tackle your novel, short story, poem, essay, or thesis, we’ve got you covered.
In this article, you'll learn:
- Is Writer's Block Real?
- The Psychology of Writer's Block
- How to Overcome Writer’s Block: Expert Advice & Strategies for Breaking Through
Is Writer’s Block Real?
The debate has been raging since the first words of Sumerian were chiseled into the Kish tablet. OK, we don’t know that for sure. But whether writer’s block exists has always been a contentious topic.
From writers and academics to psychologists and armchair critics, everyone has an opinion.
Do you think it’s real? Is writer’s block a painful, unavoidable rite of passage for every writer? Or do you think it’s a handy excuse, used to steer away from the hard work of completing a substantial piece of writing?
Either way, understanding the expected and unexpected obstacles a writer faces will help you write faster, better, and more often.
Why Writer’s Block Happens
Writer’s block is blamed for almost every stalled draft and abandoned idea. But we believe the real issue isn’t the block itself. What we need to talk about is what’s behind the block. Spoiler: it’s psychological.
Instead of blankly staring at an empty page or the few words you’ve managed to force out but can’t make sense of, think about what’s happening off the page.
Your mindset, habits, and emotions are only some of the factors that could be working against you.
Stress, self-doubt, perfectionism, a disorganized schedule — these are more than inconveniences. They’re stopping you from writing the book you know is inside you.
Instead of blankly staring at an empty page or the few words you’ve managed to force out but can’t make sense of, think about what’s happening off the page.
Identify your own specific obstacles to writing in: "Why Can't I Write Even When I Want To?"
How to Overcome Writer’s Block
Facing writer’s block may feel like coming toe-to-toe with Tolkien's Balrog of Morgoth. But every baddie has a fatal flaw and writer’s block is no different — it can be defeated.
Sure, it can feel hopeless sometimes. Especially when you started off strong, writing page after page and excitedly imagining the day you’d type "the end," only to come to a grinding halt.
But there are super effective tools you can add to your arsenal to fight this foe. There are proven strategies and productivity techniques you can add to your daily routine to slay this menace and return to your story victorious.
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Writer’s block doesn’t spell the end of your journey with your latest draft. (This is just what it wants you to think.)
Like the latest plot twist wreaking havoc on the life of your weary protagonist, it’s just another hurdle to overcome.
