A pencil in hand, a blank page stares back at you, and a frustratingly empty mind—a situation so familiar yet hated by every writer. Every attempt to pen down even a complete sentence goes ineffective. There comes a time for every author and writer when you can’t find the right words. The idea is clear in your head, the characters are defined, and the story flow is all-planned—yet you have no words. Maddening, indeed. But the good news is, it happens to every author, journalist, and novelist, which means you are not alone. While your idea collects dust in the empty space of your mind, writer’s block is no fatal and lasting condition.
The key is to find the right solution as soon as possible, or the dust-collecting idea would never reach its target readers. The process of defying the reality of writer’s block is subjective and varies from individual to individual. Researching, finding inspiration, and penning down, writing an idea is quite a lot of hard work. The idea budding in your mind comes from inspiration and needs to be delivered—that’s where writers get stuck. This overwhelming feeling follows self-doubt and discouragement to work on it.
The probable reasons for writer’s block
Some theories propose that writer’s block is an excuse for talentless writers to work hard on their work. At the same time, others believe that this block only happens to those lacking good ideas and stories to pen down. When in reality, both of these notions are true for writers suffering writer’s block—and it definitely doesn’t mean they lack in anything.
Doubting your own skill and potential is to be blamed. The tough part is that writing is a challenging mental process requiring experimentation, involving uncertainty, and exposing your vulnerability. This inspiration-driven and effort-draining inhibition entail sitting at your desk and staying there for hours.
The dreaded fear
“The world awaits your masterpiece”—the motivation asking for your vulnerability, the notion of putting yourself out for judgment, and the struggle preventing you from striving. Fear of criticism, judgment, and rejection is normal—it is part and parcel of a writer’s life.
Self-criticism.
Every creative is known to be its own worst critic. Criticizing yourself for not meeting the quality expectations or not writing it as good as it sounded in your mind is the worst a writer could do to himself. The thought of “not being good enough” is what prevents you from becoming an actual writer.
Perfectionism
There’s no one perfect way to write a story. The blunder to avoid here is to edit once you are done. Editing and perfecting every sentence before even completing the writing process could do you more harm than good. Every writer wants to write their best in every book, but improvement comes with practice, not excessive editing.
Pressure and anger
You are not the only good writer in the industry, not the only creator of a book’s idea. You are not the only exclusive contributor of any genre. The pressure of creating something unique and new every time you write is quite common. It usually follows with anger about not getting recognized for your thought-so unique work. Every idea has been done numerous times by numerous authors. You only need better plots, better twists, and better climaxes to gain that recognition.
If you are stuck with an idea, try not to take the external pressure to your mind. Take the burden of writing off of yourself and think it over with a calm mind.
Beat the jammed thought process
First things first, writer’s block doesn’t mean you should quit writing, and it definitely doesn’t define your writing talent. Keep in mind: no one but only you can experience the story before it’s written—no one but you are your own inspiration. The inhibitions of creative productivity often run dry the supply of motivation, leaving the creative mind exhausted.
The impediment could be the distress sapping out the joy of writing, aversion to seclusion, or inclination towards angered thoughts. The fight here is a personal and emotional one. Try opting these methods and tips to unblock:
Distract and go on a break
Where writers often dislike distractions, they just might prove productive during writer’s block. Instead of pondering and exhausting yourself on the same idea, try busying yourself with different activities. Switch to painting, crafts, cooking, gaming, or any other activity that will keep you distracted. Go back to the writing desk only when you feel fresh enough to restart. Don’t overwork when you feel stuck.
Skip the part
Be it the introductory paragraph or the climax, or a simple scene transition, leave it be if you can’t find the right words for it. Word out the random parts and scenes of the story without worrying about how and where to fit them. The key here is to keep writing to avoid the blockage. Your creative juices flow smoothly through this practice. When doing this, try not to work on the complicated twists, character developments, culmination, and other mind-throbbing parts of the story. If need be, rewrite the first draft, your second draft is where your idea will actualize. Make optimal use of that freedom and write down those random thoughts. Once you feel ready to take on that novel project, go back to it.
Visualize the process
Your process doesn’t only have to happen in your mind. If the word flow doesn’t feel right while continuing with a chapter or character, try doodling out the scene, creating bullet points, or sketching out the character. In such a situation, your priority should be saving and expanding on your process. Sometimes, a visual could help you think through the scene and story development.
Freestyle your writing
Write like you don’t care– free from sentence structure restrictions and grammatical correctness. Speed write like no one is going to judge the spelling errors. Compose like a third-grader. Write the wrong things, the nonsensical theories, the ridiculous topics—write the absurdities. Write without giving a second thought to editing or proofreading. Of course, none of it will be used in your creative masterpiece, but it helps a great deal in pushing through that creative blockage.
The talk-to-a-friend trick
If you find yourself stuck with the restricted tonality and structure of the language, write it like you talk it. Imagine yourself narrating your idea to a friend sitting on a couch. How would you narrate the story to your friend? Try capturing the relatability of that well-pretended conversation and pencil it out on paper. If the pretense isn’t helpful, try writing it like texting or chatting. Go beyond your writing comfort to maximize your potential.
Concluding thoughts
Let your mind wander, relax back, and find your inner peace. “I can be” is indispensable to confront the menace of writer’s block. However, if you are a writer with no time to spare for writing, contact the experts at Book Writing Cube to help you realize your writing dreams. We offer professional assistance to those hoping to become the authors of bestselling titles.
