Writer’s block is a writer’s inability to either generate or produce new material, resulting from a loss of inspiration or other circumstances, some of which may be beyond the writer’s control.
CAUSES
Loss of Inspiration:
This is what most writers refer to when they say they are suffering from writer’s block. Your muse and creativity seem to have abandoned you and you have no idea how to proceed. You may also realize that you did not exercise your due diligence before embarking on your writing project and suddenly, you realize you may have bitten off more than what you can chew.
Other Circumstances:
These include a wide range of situations.
- Lack of time
- Physical incapacitation
- Trauma: from an abusive relationship, loss of a loved one, near-death experience, loss of job and the list continues.
- Stress: from work, bad relationship, work pressure, even change of jobs, locations, political power among other things.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
If the cause of your writer’s block is something beyond your control, like you are in a war zone or you suffered a physical incapacitation, then there really is nothing you can do about it. Otherwise, here are some possible solutions to writer’s block.
Know Thyself:
As cliché as it may sound, this is the best place to start. You must be fully aware of what constitutes your personality. This awareness will keep you honest and objective. You will more clearly and easily identify the cause of your writer’s block and with that knowledge, you can find solutions more easily.
Make Time:
Life happens and it can be most challenging to make the time to write, especially when you have ‘more pressing matters’ to address in your life. While this may be the case, you must also be honest with yourself and ensure that ‘not having enough time to write’ is not just an excuse but a fact.
Seek Help:
If you cannot heal yourself from a traumatic situation, please seek professional help. It is the best thing you can do for yourself and those around you.
Reduce Stress:
When one is under stress, the brain diverts much of its functions from the area responsible for thinking, perceiving and producing (cerebral cortex) to the area associated with emotion, behavior, motivation among other functions (limbic system). You can read up on this from reputable websites, if you are interested. We will talk more about stress in another blog post.
Ways and methods of reducing stress include the following:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Exercise
- Traveling
- Change of scenery, job, the company you keep etc.
Realize that reducing your stress levels and improving your well-being is 100% your responsibility. So, take charge and make the necessary life adjustments for the sake of your well-being.
Find Your Muse:
Return to what your source of inspiration (a song, a movie, a life situation etc.) was in the first place and see if you can draw from it again or something similar.
Just Write:
It may just be a sentence or a paragraph, and it may not even make sense when you write. But, maybe you can ‘fake it till you make it.’
Be a Planner:
I talked more about becoming a planner in greater detail in this blog post. I also mentioned that I strongly believe that being a planner is the main reason why I never suffered from writer’s block when I wrote The Soulless Ones Series.
WHAT’S NEXT?
If the above recommendations helped you in overcoming your writer’s block, then great. If not, then just be patient with yourself and see what happens. Who knows; maybe the block is just an indication that the project you are currently working on is not the best fit for you. In fact, regardless of how you may feel, it is not the end of the world. You may just have to let it go entirely and work on something else. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that.
Be mindful of the fact that dealing with writer’s block is not an exact science. Everyone handles it differently. Just ‘Know Thyself’ first and foremost and whatever decision you make from there will come from a place of peace.
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