Introduction
Writer’s block is a common occurrence with any form of writing whether it’s school essays, shorts stories, poetry, songs, or any form of media as such. It can be demotivating and frustrating, so it’s important to recognize what causes it and how it can be overcome.
Understanding Writer’s Block
Writer’s block is defined as “a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece” by Webster’s Dictionary. In other words, it can be described as feeling as if there’s a wall between you and the project you’re working on. It can cause psychological symptoms such anxiety, depression, lower-self esteem, and physical symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and muscle tension. Motivation can decrease and, as a result, procrastination symptoms can arise.
What Causes Writer’s Block?
Causes of writer’s block can vary person to person, but common ones include:
Other Work
- In a school environment, having other assignments for other classes in addition to an essay can be extremely overwhelming. Attempting to focus on brainstorming or writing can be suffocating and the stress of unfinished work due at various different times is a heavy weight on your shoulders.
Expectations
- Whether you’re a student or working a full time job, expectations can be demanding, leading to extra anxiety. Living up to the standards set for you or by you can be extremely taxing on both your physical and mental health. High expectations can result in perfectionism and imposter syndrome—doubt in one’s skills or abilities. This can cause you to hyperfixate on small details, making it difficult to come up with new ideas or move past the section you’re on.
Distractions
- Distractions can be anything, from too much noise to world crises. The lights being too bright, the people around you speaking too loud, or devices not being used for writing—such as a phone—can make it hard to focus on what you’re doing and lead you to focus on the external stimuli. Additionally, crises in the economy, healthcare, wars, et cetera, can easily weigh on you as well.
General Lack of Ideas
- Sometimes you just hit a roadblock and don’t know where to go next with your piece. Maybe you realize you don’t like a beginning, a theme, or a whole idea in general. Unfortunately, this is just part of the writing process and is evidently quite frustrating.
Regardless of the reasoning, there are many different ways to gain motivation and take strides toward progress.
Moving Forward
So, how do you overcome writer’s block? Just as there are many causes, there are also many solutions.
Talk to someone
- Talking to someone such as a friend, a teacher, a colleague, or another trusted acquaintance can be helpful. When writing, sometimes we default to seeing only what’s wrong in our work, and not what’s right. But, having a fresh set of eyes can give us a new perspective on where to move next.
Keep Writing
- No matter how hard it is, continuing your writing can be crucial. Even if you hate what you write, at least you know it’s not a direction you want to go in, which is still progress. You could also try exercises using prompts, or just free-write; write anything and everything that comes into your mind without stressing over the quality of the writing. This can help you get vague ideas to build off.
Take a Break
- While this may seem counterproductive, sometimes not writing is best. If you’ve been overworking yourself, you can easily get burnt out. Take some time for yourself; read a book, go outside, catch up with friends. It’s beneficial to let your brain have a break, but you can also get inspiration from these experiences as well.
Progress, not Perfection
- As previously mentioned, perfectionism can be one of the key components causing writer’s block. Try not to fixate on the small details and just focus on writing; you can always go back and edit it. On the other hand, you could write a loose outline similar to how artists use storyboarding—vaguely sketching out what they want to do in the scene. Find lines you like and want to incorporate, scene ideas, emotions, etc. and work on creating them. Write out different ways you could take the story, and see what fits and what doesn’t.
Conclusion
While writer’s block is a painful process to grow through, and can feel as if you’re moving in place, remember it’s a normal experience. People of all ages and all backgrounds go through it, but they all push through eventually. Only you know what will work for you, so it’s better to try different things than not. Take a breath, step back, and figure out how you can keep going with your project. You’ll find a way, it just takes time.
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