Recovery story: I got Writer’s Block to my knee
A guy opens up his laptop and takes a sip of his coffee. He’s been coming to this coffee shop every morning so the regulars already know to greet him. But they ignore him once he opens up his laptop because he sits there for hours on end not moving a single inch.
He was a famous and respected author until he got writer’s block to the knee (Skyrim puns should still be a thing, right?).
The dreaded writer’s block is like Voldemort of the wizarding world. Nobody talks about it, but once it’s there we ignore its existence. But I’d argue it doesn’t exist.
Wait. If millions of people experienced it, then surely you're full of shit.
Well. I’ve experienced writer’s block as well, many times during my writing career. But I believe nowadays that we are all united against this notion of writer’s block, bullying it for lunch money, or a muse in our case.
“I have this great idea but I can’t write it today. Nothing comes into my head!”
“I’ve been staring at the page for so long I can’t think of anything else!”
Like a plague that’s been ignored for eons, we accept it as our foe and raise our hands up. Like that guy who always gets killed first in horror movies, we just give up our fate. It wasn’t meant to be.
But if we analyze the two sentences above, we’ll find out something interesting. And with our discovery, we will solve this issue once and for all. Hint: it won’t be a bandaid but it won’t be an overnight miracle either.
I have a great idea but I can’t write anything
Do I really need to explain the contradiction in this one?
I get it. Your idea is worth billions of dollars, and if only Christopher Nolan got on the phone with you, you’ll be okay. But once you sit down and write it, you have no idea how to start. You cannot translate your incredible idea into a story.
That’s not writer’s block.
You’re looking for the perfect words, characters, or maybe even font to start writing. Your idea is so amazing you have to accompany it with the most perfect companions.
That’s perfectionism punching you in the face.
Just write. It’s the most cliched and overwritten advice out there, but it is so true, especially in today's world. We don’t have a typewriter that forces us to think of each word as a cost of ink.
Just open up your computer and spit out ideas. Write anything. It’s crazy innovative and nobody has to see it. You can even bury it into an encrypted disk-on-key for aliens to find one day and be mesmerized by the hidden message inside the chaos of your mind.
With one of my recently published stories, I faced the same issue. I had a great title and a great idea but I started being stuck when I was writing it. But instead of giving up on my streak, I kept writing, one step at a time, and it turned out great!
An incredible thing will happen when you write. The neurons in your head will start firing and creating new connections. These new connections will be new ideas that will carry your one billion-dollar story to Christopher Nolan.
And just like fine wine or Cognac in my case (I wasn’t raised in a whiskey environment), you’ll distill the jewels in the gold mine that’s your head. Practice makes perfect and the more you train it the better it becomes.
The result of this brewed process unveils an algorithm or a process you can control. Writing anything is like walking. One step takes you to the next step and so on.
So start with an incredible idea. How does it start? What’s a cool sentence to hook readers up? What happens after you hook the reader up? How do you explain that idea?
And during this process of leading the horse by the carrot, write as raw as you can. Let the words flow through your fingers and not through your head. You can always edit it back and extract its goodness.
You get the point.
But I have no idea what to write about!
You’re either getting punched by perfectionism yet again, trying to cycle between which idea is the best one to put on the page, or you really have no idea what to write about.
If it’s perfectionism being an asshole again, just look at the previous advice. Start writing anything. Decide at random. When I started this account I had a million and one things to write about. So I’ve written them all in no particular order. And they are all perfect, in their own way.
But if you truly have no idea and you’re like that writer with a bad knee, just take a walk.
Are you serious?
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” by Albert Einstein
Staring at your computer screen intently won’t force words onto it. Inspiration doesn’t come from a strained mind but from a relaxed wondering one. Why do you think the best ideas come to us when our mind cruises along our usual walks, showers, or dishwashing?
Ideas will end up flowing through your mind. It might not be an idea for a novel, but it could be a small thought you wish to discuss. Guess what, that’s a story.
It’s exactly what I’ve been doing so far! Every article here is a thought I had and an extension of my will to discuss life and avoid small talk. And this story isn’t any different. It started as a small thought.
So tap that writer in the coffee shop on the shoulder. Tell him that it’s fine and an introverted spaceman on the internet wrote a great article about it. Just share this story with him.
And what about you? Are you taking a small break or looking for a muse?
