Get Over Your Writing Block Already

Because Writing is Easy, People, Compared to Other Jobs

Because Writing is Easy, People, Compared to Other Jobs

Photo by Deepal Pallav Suthar on Unsplash

And guess what?

We need your words — you — out in the world to help. Because we’ve got some real problems to be solved. So we can’t have you hiding in your studio because you’re blocked.

Sometimes I get blocked. No wait, let me put it this way: sometimes I have the great, good luxury to get blocked. I loll about, pretending to work but really surfing the internet.

But then, I realize: I’ve got the best job in the world. I do not have to go dig ditches. I do not have to risk my life at war. I do not have to do the hard, physical work of farming. I don’t even have to stand up if I don’t want to.

All I have to do is sit at my desk and put words on the page.

How lucky am I?

And yet sometimes I flop about and moan about how hard it all is. Really?

Fighting cancer is hard.

Collecting garbage is hard.

Delivering mail in all weather on foot all day is hard.

Brain surgery is hard.

Honestly, just about every job in the world is harder than what I do.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I respect all writers and the “struggles” we face. Years ago, when I first finished the draft of a novel, I was astounded at how “hard” it had been. Hard in terms of making sure enough happened. Fitting the scenes together. Establishing character motivation.

But that’s not hard compared to, oh, say, washing windows on a high-rise building.

Or maintaining a writing practice while keeping M.S. under control, as a woman (and dear friend) in my writing group does.

Or plunging back into a novel with dark themes while going on yet another round of chemotherapy to fight cancer, as another woman in my writing group does.

I’m so happy that both the above-mentioned writers are putting their words on the page because we need their voices.

We need your voice, too. So get over it. Put words on the page. Something, anything.

How To Get Over Writer’s Block

But, okay, if you’re really, truly, struggling with a writing block, maybe one of the following will help.

Write Fast

Too many writers obsess over getting every word and sentence correct. But that way madness lies. And it also results in stilted, stiff writing. Throw your words onto the page, and tell yourself you will stop to edit later. It is a much jollier way to work, if nothing else.

There’s a pervasive idea that anything done quickly is bad.

That’s not always the case. With writing, your first impulse is often the strongest. Letting it rip on the screen will infuse your work with life and personality. But please to be aware that this draft is only the initial effort. You will need to go back and rewrite, probably several times. And you’ll need to do a final pass for grammar, spelling, and clarity.

Play with Prompts

Yeah, I know, you hate them. You think they are for newbies or wannabes or writers who only write delicate thoughts in their journal. But nothing is further from the truth. Prompts can loosen the subconscious from its shackles and send you in new directions, then maybe even back again to where you want to be.

The best way to use prompts is, you guessed it, to write fast.

Set a timer, and move your hand across the page or fingers around the keyboard. Let it rip. And don’t worry about sticking to the topic of the prompt. Let your fingers go and see what comes out.

When the timer goes off, read over your writing, highlighting or underlining sentences you like. Then use one of those for your next prompt. When working with an ongoing project, it can be useful to take a line from your novel or story and use that as your prompt. Or take a character’s name, or a setting, or a situation you’re having a hard time parsing out.

Take an Intentional Rest

A client in crisis wrote me. She was feeling disconnected from her novel (which is terrific, by the way), and like she just couldn’t sit down to work. Then she reeled off what she had been doing for the last couple of weeks. A lot. Too much.

I ordered her to take a break. An intentional break, not just a looking-at-news-stories-on-the-internet break. I told her to go off and do something that she loved, even if that was as simple as people watching at the local cafe while sipping a latte.

Julia Cameron talks about taking Artist’s Dates, noting that when we are engaged in a long-term creative project, it takes a lot of energy — mental and emotional. And, wonderful as it is, it is also draining. (After a good writing session, I’m both exhilarated and exhausted.) She recommends taking yourself on a weekly Artist’s Date.

Okay, I rarely manage a weekly date with myself. But I do try to take time to pause, especially when I know I’m running ragged. Last month I took three out-of-town trips, two of them devoted to teaching. And I realized over the weekend I need some rest time. My solution? Thirty minute naps after lunch, reading and dozing, which is the height of luxury for me. I come out of my room replenished and ready to get back to it.

Ditch the Negativity

It really does affect your work. If nothing else, it will affect your schedule. If you are constantly flopping about telling yourself that you’re no good, your writing sucks, you’ll never get anywhere, do you think your brain is going to want to spend time in the writing chair? Not a chance.

Maybe this article will help. The author mentions a simple, effective and new way to deal with negative thoughts.

Be Grateful

C’mon, admit it. You are glad you’re not outside putting on a new roof, right? You and I get to write, and it’s the best job in the world. So let’s respect it by giving it our all.

I feel that way about my writing sometimes, too.

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