Writer’s Block – What Is It?

Many writers complain of getting or having ‘writer’s block’ but what exactly is it? Writer’s block is a condition that many writers will experience at some time, some get it a lot, others rarely get it. It causes the writer to loose the ability to produce new work for a length of time (some have it for hours, others for years). This condition is often associated with proffessional writers.

But does it really exist?

Many authors and writers doubt that writers block actually exists. P.C Cast, one of the author’s of the ‘House Of Night’ series, wrote an excellent post on writer’s block a while ago. She believes that it doesn’t exist. She treats writing as her job, yes there are some days she doesn’t feel like doing it, but then everyone has days when they don’t want to work.

Why do some writers get it?

One thoery is that people get writers block when they subconsciously mark their work as inferior, unsuitable or bad, when it is actually good. This suggests that it’s a psychological problem. Some writers have it for years and in the end give up writing altogether.

Others get writer’s block because they run our of inspiration for their story, or get bored with it. This is why many authors believe you shouldn’t produce a really detailed plan of your novel as it can cause you to become bored with writing it as you already know what will happen.

Many authors complain that writer’s block stops them finishing their story. So do they just run out of creativity? Or do they become bored? Or is their an actual ‘block’ stopping them? It could be any one of the above reasons or another one entirely. Different writers get writer’s block for different reasons. We’re all different.

Adverse changes in lifestyles can also cause writer’s block. Physical illness, mental illness, grief, financial pressures and ending of relationships are only a few things which can cause it.

Some writers get it because they spend too long planning a book and not actually writing, they’ve used up a lot of their creativity and inspiration planning, not writing. Remember planning isn’t writing, researching isn’t writing, only writing is writing.

How long does writer’s block last for?

There is no ‘right’ answer to this question. Some are only affected for a few hours, others with more serious cases can be affected for years.

How do you get rid of or avoid writer’s block?

One common way to avoid writer’s block (this is the main method I use) is to have several novels on the go at once. This way if you become bored with one, you can switch to another, or you get a new idea altogether. This is the main problem I have; always being bombarded with different ideas means that I find it hard to finish one novel, but that is normal.

Another way of beating writer’s block is by writing something everyday. Set aside a time each day to write, and stick to it. Try to write something everyday, no matter how little it is, even if it’s just describing what the weather’s like.

Try thinking of writing as a regular job that you do anyway. Don’t think of it as a special art that you have to do exceedingly well in. And don’t be hard on yourself at all. Congratualte yourselves for every page you fill.

Only write because you want to write. Writing should be something that you enjoy, not a chore.

Some may find that reading gets rid of their block, or that doing simple writing exercises solves it.

So, the best way to avoid or beat writer’s block is to keep writing!