This thread is for all things related to writer's block.
What causes it? What cures it? Is it even a real thing?
Tell us all about your experiences. Share with us what you have learned.
For my money writer's block is a catch-all term that comes in many different forms, akin to a rapidly mutating virus our medicines can't always cope with.
I'm just shaving off the top of my current head here, which admittedly isn't in the very best state, so don't mistake this for any sort of psychoscientific gospel. I'm not an authority on
anything except the production of one specific kind of cheese (hit my DMs if you love goat's milk but wish it came as a solid).
The Crisis: How often have we wanted nothing more than to sit down with our little story about intergalactic marsupial pirates, only for life to throw up alarm bells, fires we need to put out, crises to manage, whatever it may be? This is the stuff we just have to shift focus to and deal with. Often a less severe form of writer's block, if we let it be, though if it comes in the form of, say, the death of a loved one or a divorce, anything on that magnitude, there will be ripple effects that may prevent writing for a long time indeed. I don't have a cure for this one except to deal with whatever's on your plate, writing be damned for the time being, and with luck you might come out the other side wiser and with more to say. This type of writer's block can actually fuel your work in future and be a font of inspiration. I think it's best to see it as a breather to whatever extent you can, to rest and recuperate and come back stronger.
Overwhelm/Distraction: This'd be the persistent drone of responsibilities or indulgences or habitual patterns throughout the day. It could be anything, depending on who you are and what your situation is. You could be working eight solid hours a day plus taking care of children, leaving not so much time and energy for the creative stuff. You could be addicted to video games and do that for twelve hours straight, thinking you're gonna put in a little writing at the end of the day. You could simply be hammered by depression, anxiety, and overthinking pretty much all the time. What these all have in common is they redirect energy and focus, and it can be hard to get it back. Maybe you just have a rich social life (good on ya, use it for inspiration!) that takes up a lot of time. I think the best way to deal with any of these, or similar situations, is to teach yourself to switch tracks fast and to leave a moment behind once it's passed. Meditation could help a lot here, possibly also medication, I can't speak to that last one personally. And if your distractions are optional (video game marathons or doomscrolling rather than working or taking care of kids) then you can just try to ease your way away from that. You don't have to go cold turkey, you can just reduce and reprioritize over time. Just generally set aside blocks of time for writing, try to cultivate maintained focus and build momentum from there.
Lack of Passion/Uninspired: Okay, so picture this lovely paradise: you have hours of free time ahead, you know nobody's going to bother you, you're not worried about money, all your stuff is paid up, and you're ready to
write. Only, when you get started there is no fucking spark at all, you simply don't care. Your voice is mute. You might as well watch 16 hours of Netflix instead. There could be any number of reasons why you're not "feeling it". Maybe your story or genre just isn't right for you. Maybe you're a beginner, feeling incompetent and uncertain to the point where you may as well not even bother. Maybe the method you're trying to use is not a good fit for you.
I think this one might hit beginners especially. I don't want to encourage anyone to give up, but I would advise taking some time to ensure you're emotionally connected to your story and characters. You could have the coolest fucking idea in the history of fiction, but if it doesn't resonate with you right now it may be a sign that it's a project for later. Think of it as a glimpse of the future of your career, rather than something you have to do right now. Use it as a carrot. Don't think that the first thing you write has to be the
magnum opus. Do not, and I wanna fucking stress this hard, do not ever be scared to write stories you'd be embarrassed to show to anyone, stories you know are gonna turn out to be bullshit, stories so vulgar they'd strip the paint off your granny's Wolkswagen. If you're a beginner, write whatever's in your heart. Use poor grammar if that's all you have. Use lame clichés and overdone bullshit if that's what's in your repertoire. If you're a beginner: dare to fail, and embrace the rite of passage. Trust me, the ones of us who are kinda skillful and confident in what we do, we have already been in the trenches, we've written stories so bad you'd be ashamed to wipe your ass with those drafts. You'll slog through it, you'll hate your work, and lo and behold, you'll get better.
And for the love of God, if you're a newbie: don't be afraid to experiment, don't settle into one genre early. Eat the whole fucking smorgasboard of fiction, see what you like. Go nuts, find your voice, and find what your voice isn't. Find what you're allergic to. And don't you ever fucking ever be afraid to write silly bullshit that isn't already on the menu, if that's what your soul tells you. Don't conform! At its core, writing is intimate communion with yourself. If you really want to pursue writing as a lifestyle, not just a hobby (having it as just a hobby is super fine and fair, by the way, blessings to you) you should probably brace yourself for some suffering. It's not always fun and pretty, but it is rewarding. It's a peerless tool for knowing who you are.
Lazy/Low Energy: Yeah, this one hits me a lot, in conjunctions with some others. I think a lot of writers, leastways those of us born to it, are cerebral types who tend to neglect physical wellbeing. Don't! As much as some of us might like to think so, we aren't brains in a jar, we're not disembodied consciousness (well, not purely that). I'm a more physical person than some, I like lifting weights and doing martial arts, hiking, whatever, but I too have a way to go in taking care of my physical self. If you want more energy for writing, that's actually rather simple. Move! Whatever it is for you, weightlifting or dancing or jogging or sex, just use your body for something. And eat well, and rest plenty. My worst writing blocks always happen when I rot in bed and just don't wanna fucking hear about a physical self. I've learned that exerting myself breeds energy, and also confidence (which leaks into my writing voice, which is sometimes mousy and solicitous, at other times bold and assertive, I think you can spot the correlation).
I will say that so-called bed rotting has its place in the life of a writer, or indeed anyone. If you make it into a days-long session of meditation and/or introspection, it can be really useful. Just don't mope around in your comfort zone feeling miserable and hard-done-by for several years in a row, I did that, and that's just not how great writers are made. It can be a part of the journey for sure, just don't get lost in it.
Lack of Ideas/Too Many Ideas: Well, I just don't know what to tell you on this one, sport. Ideas are cheap, haven't you heard? Well, it's hard to know which ideas to take on and which to leave. If you have no ideas at all, I don't know what to tell you, I just can't relate to that. If you have too many ideas, I get you. You should probably not do as I do, which is to throw the abundance of ideas at a wall and see if a novel sticks. Or maybe you are like me, the kind of person who thrives in that environment, in which case hello, I didn't know there were more of me out there.
Getting back on topic, if you have no ideas at all I have to wonder if you're in the right business. That is not to say "give up". Maybe you're just struggling to find an idea for a specific kind of story you want to tell. Only thing I can advise you there is take in the same kind of story you wanna work in, seek inspiration, and if possible talk to writers working in the same space. Once again, meditation is useful. If you can stand it, look into the core of yourself and see where your true passions lie. It can be a scary thing for a lot of people, it certainly has been for me, but for my money I think it's a toll many writers overlook. And you can be a fantastic writer without ever going there, I'm just saying that exploring your own psyche by any means will always give that extra bit of zest to your work.
I think I fucking kinda went overboard here, sorry about that. Hope somebody somewhere can extract some value from my ramblings.
Finally I just wanna say, overall, for anyone struggling which Writer's Block (which has really plagued me in periods) there's a really simple way around it.
Learn to love life, all of it. Get to know your inner self. Have like-minded friends to talk to. Fucking have fun, and use your body. Cultivate peace of mind and passion for life alongside each other, and most importantly embrace love, love, love in any way you can. Love everything you come across, even the hateful things, rejoice in
everything (yes that is easier said than done, I know) and you'll be a great writer.
Visit places like hate, alienation, anger, loss, anywhere at all by any means, but try as best you can to always be anchored in love. Don't get lost in anything that isn't love. Explore, have fun, create endless permutations of tragedy, but always come back to love. That, I think, is the core of a writer who has made it in the truest sense of the word, and this has nothing to do with monetary success or acclaim. A true writer is one who dwells in love, is deeply anchored therein, and therefore not afraid to go into the darkest reaches of story and report what they find.
I went super overboard there with my personal philosophy and ideas of writing. I won't say I'm sorry, as this is what I stand for, but I admit it was not all super pertinent to the subject of the thread. I hope someone can get anything useful from my take on all this.
Just to round it all off, anyone struggling with writing block should do one of two things: 1) write anyway, something beautiful will glimmer in the muck 2) lay off writing for a while, go explore, visit a foreign country. You'll likely come back home with a wider perspective and more to say.
And finally, if you can find a writing partner, please do. I had one for a few years, and it absolutely elevated my game. If not a writing partner, just someone to listen to your rambles about what you're working on. Writing can be a lonely business and it does us good to be heard from time to time.
