Don’t Worry About Writer’s Block. Try This Instead.
Writer’s Block, which I like to define as the temporary death of a writer’s creativity, is the bane of any writer’s existence. It prolongs for months and sometimes years, and we hopelessly wait for it to go away, thinking there is nothing we can do about it.
Imagine sitting in a nice, quiet place with your laptop and a cup of coffee at your side. The environment is conducive to completing a good piece of writing and you should start work right away. Only that you don't…
You stare at your laptop screen for a while. Then you check your phone to distract yourself. Make another attempt to write but can’t put together more than five words. That’s Writer’s Block.
The brutal slowdown of a writer’s creativity does not come with a warning. You will never know in advance that you’re about to have a hard time writing. It just randomly happens and then prolongs for days. Here are some signs you have writer's block:
. You’ve tried writing in different places but still couldn’t write. For example, your office at home, an internet cafe, or a quiet outdoor setting.
. You’ve made attempts to write with intervals in between eg, trying after a one-week break but had no success.
. You feel mentally tortured, frustrated, and anxious.
. You feel unproductive and in order to combat that feeling you try to become productive in other ways.
. You feel something is wrong and have discussed the feeling with someone.
What can you do about it?
The best thing you can do is to physically or mentally revisit the root of your writing ( inspiration). The root could be a place, an idea, a motivation, or an object. Revisiting the root means going back to the origination of your writing skills.
Ask yourself these questions:
When was the first time you discovered your love for writing?
Where did the passion for writing develop?
Who or what inspired you? ( Could be a book, an author, a memory)
What was your motivation to write? ( Could be a story you wanted the world to know).
Everybody will find the root of their writing path. You don’t just wake up one day and decide to become a writer. It’s a career and a skill fuelled by inspiration.
My root for example is my childhood home. I was an introverted child who rarely left the house. Spending so much time alone at home inspired me to tell stories to the world. After all, it was one way I could communicate with other people without having to leave the house.
Recently, I experienced the worst Writer’s Block. I couldn’t write for almost six months. It seemed like I’d undergone a terrible spell. I thought I’d never write again. But last month I visited my childhood home and after a few days, I thought: How could I stop writing?
I am saying this from personal experience that re-inspiring yourself genuinely helps. Don’t distress over your diminishing creativity. Re-inspire yourself, make another attempt, and you’ll be back on the writing road!
