Demystifying Writer’s Block (+ Curing it Once and For All)

It’s been a while since I had to write a blog post. XD This month my blog’s been full of guest posts that I’ve had a lot of fun with! If you haven’t read all those posts, be sure to check them out along with the wonderful blogs from the bloggers who wrote them!

For today, however, I have a post that I wrote on the spot a couple weeks back. I was reading another blog post at the time and there was a quote in the post that gave me the inspiration for to write this. And because, who doesn’t need help with writer’s block?

Every writer struggles with it at one time or another. But still, no one knows how to deal with it. A lot of writers have their own opinion on how to master it, and I’ll listen to them all. Today I’m going to share with you my personal opinion on how to cure writer’s block once and for all. (Strangely enough, I haven’t dealt with writer’s block much at all since implementing these thoughts.)

Embrace your writer’s block. It’s nature’s way of saving trees and your reputation. Listen to it and try to understand its source. Often, writer’s block happens to you because somewhere in your work you’ve lied to yourself and your subconscious won’t let you go any further until you’ve gone back, erased the lie, stated the truth and started over.

–The American Theatre Reader, Jose Rivera

(^The quote in case anyone was curious^)

The source of writer’s block comes from two things: a lie you’ve believed that you won’t let yourself forget, and a drained mental energy capacity. I want to break down each of these points so that you can decide for yourself which one is the reason for your block so that we can then properly find the cure.

The Lie

We believe many lies as writers. We’re not good enough, we’ll never have what it takes to get published, no one would want to read my book, no one cares about my stories, and so on and so forth. Are you having doubts about your writing? Are you believing a lie to be true?

It’s very easy to fall into this trap and believe any number of lies. But we have to stop and realize that they’re exactly that: lies. By believing them we are only hindering our progress and our chance at becoming something. It’s only through believing in yourself that you will get anywhere at all.

If you are currently believing a lie about yourself as a writer, stop. Think through this lie. Why do you believe it? Maybe talk it out with a friend or family member and let them help you see how this lie is not true for yourself. This is the only way I can get out of writer’s block sometimes, by talking it out with a friend. Let others be an encouragement to you when you can’t be for yourself. We all need people around us to cheer us on and fight for us when we can’t fight for ourselves.

So once you’ve figured out what lie it is that you’re believing and talked it out with a friend or family member, now it’s time to flip that lie on it’s head. Do you believe that your words aren’t good enough? Tell yourself, my words matter and people need to hear them. Do you believe no one cares about your writing? Tell yourself, people care about me and my writing, and they want to see me succeed.

Whatever your lie may be, flip it into a truth and repeat it over and over to yourself until you believe it. Because you are not what your mind tricks you into thinking. You are not what this lie is making you believe. And you can rise above this and conquer writer’s block like a warrior. Become the hero of your own story and don’t give up on yourself.

Don’t let anything stop you from chasing your dreams.

Your Mental Energy

The other cause of your writer’s block could very easily be summed up in one simple truth: you’re exhausted. You’re tired from all the hours you spend pounding out words. And your brain feels like someone stuffed a cotton ball in there and it’s clouding your thinking.

I’ve been here. More times then I care to admit. Sadly, the last thing we would think when we’re in this situation is, “Hey, I might need a break”. Simple solution, right? Not always.

Even when my eyes feel blood shot, I’m dragging my feet, and my head is pounding with a headache, I’m more likely to pull out the laptop and keep writing then sit down and take a break. (True story actually, and I’m not proud of it.) As writers and creatives, we can drag our mental energy into the ground. We can reach a point of exhaustion that no one else will understand.

But we have to remember to take care of ourselves. Yes, we love writing and, yes, we want to get to a place where we’re ready for publication as soon as possible, but that doesn’t mean we should throw our health away in the process. Because if we don’t care for ourselves then our stories will pay the price. They won’t live up to the potential they were meant for because we were too tired to do them justice.

This can very well be your cause of writer’s block. When we’re tired, certain parts of our brains begin to shut down and beg for rest. This is our creative side, just as exhausted as we are.

How can you expect to keep writing when your brain is running on a near empty tank? It’s like asking a doctor to perform a surgery when he’s too tired to think what he’s doing. While this isn’t a human life in the balance, it is the life or death of your story. As well as your mental health.

Tell me, are you feeling drained creatively? Do you feel like you don’t have another word left in you? Do you feel like your mind is fuzzy and clouded? Are you tired?

These are all signs of low mental energy. Listen to your body! I can’t stress this enough. Don’t push through these symptoms or it will lead to burnout. Which, my friend, is way worse than writer’s block.

If you have writer’s block right now, it is merely the warning signal. Heed it. Take a break. Allow your body and your mind to rest. Do something that will help you fill your mental energy as well as your creative well. This might be reading a book, taking a walk, listening to music, spending time with family and friends, or watching a movie. Be observant to what fills your mental energy and do those things when it’s running low.

Take care of yourself, dear writer. Your story will thank you for it when you come back to it feeling refilled and refreshed. Don’t worry about how long it might take to refill, simply enjoy the break and how good it feels to be refreshed creatively.

Your turn!

How do you get over writer’s block? Which of these are causing your block? What are you going to do to cure your writer’s block?

Blessings, Allyson

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