Whether you believe that writer’s block is real or not, you must be feeling some regret or frustration around the idea; you clicked on this article. Maybe you haven’t written down a word in a couple of hours, days, or even years. Whatever it is, you’re not putting words on the page and you’re feeling bad about it. I’m here to make you feel okay about it.
IS WRITERS BLOCK REAL OR IS THE EXPECTATION TO ALWAYS BE PRODUCTIVE UNREAL?
Early in my writing journey, I was told by various famous writers in their famous books to ALWAYS be writing. Have you ever seen these quotes, might they also be tacked onto your corkboard? Maybe these quotes were a great motivator in college, while you were young and without the many responsibilities, but for those of us in the real world, life gets messy, unpredictable and hard. For a brief respite, let us figure out if these quotes, these ideas that have become beliefs, are working for us or against us. Believing you should always be writing might be the very thing stopping you from getting to the page. Take these quotes down and open your mind to a different way to think about your ”writer’s block.”
TAKE CARE OF YOUR BRAIN
This all comes down to psychology. Writing happens in the mind. If your mind isn’t right, you can’t compose cohesive, worthwhile thoughts. At least, I can’t. If you’re depressed or anxious or dealing with any of the many psychosis out there, get help, professional help. I would not be where I am today without the help of my therapist. If you have a hamster in your head barking at you about how shitty you are for not writing more, or not putting your work out there fast enough, pluck the little fur-ball mid rotation and kick it into the river with these techniques, some of which you might have heard before and that is because it works. I wouldn’t reccomend anything I haven’t tried myself.
EASY FIXES
Call a friend. Nothing gets you out of your own head and laughing about your own setbacks better than a friend. They might remind you of all of the wonderful things you’ve created so far. Hear their kind words and repeat them back to yourself next time you get in a rut.
Go for a walk. Clear your head with the simple movement of your limbs. Make observations about the trees, the neighbors houses, be somewhere else besides in front of the computer.
Pick up another medium. I recently started watercoloring to get my creative confidence back. There are so many free painting tutorials online. You can create a completed work of “art” in twenty minutes and feel the satisfaction that comes with learning something new and making something pretty. Bonus, it’s cheap. Most art forms are. If you are not savvy with colors, try putting together a puzzle and play some inspiring music.
Watch documentaries. A great doc gets my gears going. It gets me curious, emotional, and sometimes enraged. It gets me feeling something about someone else, somewhere else and motivates me to act.
Read. Everything. Books, articles, essays. If you have a question about something in conversation, do a deep dive. Google. Reddit. Learn more about specific topics. Knowing things breeds confidence. Have you ever met someone from Harvard that wasn’t confident? (insert joke about Harvard know-it-alls here)
Give. Go out in the world and see where you are needed. You can always come back to the page but someone out there needs your kindness right now. Your need is to write, theirs might be for a warm blanket or a meal. Do research and find out who needs your help most. Find local shelters to donate to—not Goodwill, pay for someone’s groceries that’s paying with food stamps, when you see someone struggling, step in. If your motivation is to better the world with your writing, try balancing that with action.
CHECK YOURSELF
Also, there might be some addictive behaviors getting in the way. The Hemmingways and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s of the past were loaded all the time. They made it seem glamorous and necessary but let’s be real, it hurt them way more than it helped them. Think of how many more great works they could have produced if they weren’t out getting shit-housed every night, making poor decisions, like cheating on their wives and wasting every last dime on champagne. They were talented but they were reckless. Imagine if they combined their talent with a healthy lifestyle? So many wonderful artists have been lost to addiction. Put aside the booze and smoke if you’re serious about ending the writing pause and engage in healthful life habits. Excercise. Eat your fruits and veggies, blah blah blah. You know what you’re supposed to do to feel good, so do it.
Okay now that my PSA is over with, let’s get real. Even with all of the talk therapy and self help books out there, physical obstacles like children and your day job get in the way of writing. There is no whipping out the laptop while the toddlers are slapping it shut and demanding to be fed. Doubtful your boss is tolerant of your storyboarding on the clock, you need to make money, and putting a roof over your head is paramount. These things are legitimate “excuses” but they don’t feel like it, not to a non-writing writer. It still hurts. If there are things in your way that are stopping you from having the time to actually sit down to compose your work, it is important to put judgment aside and reframe how you feel about where you are in your day, week, or life.
#AMWRITING
Remember that not all “writing” looks the same. Sometimes #amwriting can simply mean #amliving, #amconsuming, observing, experiencing, feeling, learning. An important phase of composing any artful piece is contemplation, sourcing, and planning. To people on the outside, and maybe even to yourself, it might not look like writing, but if you are thinking deeply about the events happening around you, the feelings you have and the origins of those feelings, you are writing. If you are reading books, listening to great music, going to museums, talking with fellow artists, you are writing. If you find yourself associating and threading your experiences with the common experiences of people all over the world and throughout history, you are writing.
“A NON-WRITING WRITER IS A MONSTER COURTING INSANITY” - FRANZ KAFKA
Which brings me to my writing break “excuse.” I’m exploring my own guilt here around the lack of creative sharing during the last few years of my life. I started writing this post 4 years ago. It literally sat in my draft box for FOUR YEARS. This does not mean I have been wholly unproductive. I had another baby and wrote another book but I have not been able to write as often as my soul requires. Motherhood is all consuming and doesn’t always feel good. It’s horrible not being able to choose when I write. Not writing is painful. The anxiety of trapped emotions is real. If I’m not working it out on the page or on the stage, my chest tightens up and I feel like someone is choking me. Anyone else feel this way? Or is this anxiety disorder + writer + parenthood? IDK I hope I’m alone.
And so, I am back. I’m writing again. I will not beat myself up for the days I did not show up to the computer. There’s no right or wrong way to pursue the writer’s life. There’s no uniform timeline or formula. Writing is thinking deeply about life and your people in it. So as long as you’re doing that, you’ll be fine.
Don’t stress. You are not blocked. You are not a machine, you are not AI. You are a human and that’s beautiful. Please forgive yourself. It’s okay that your writer’s life doesn’t look like your favorite author’s, or some ideal you’ve created in your head. All that matters is that you come back to your work eventually. You are unique and important. The world needs your voice.
It'll all be okay. You are okay.
“DO NOT WORRY YOU HAVE ALWAYS WRITTEN BEFORE AND YOU WILL WRITE.” —Hemmingway, A Moveable Feast
Below please help yourself to some prompts. Write freely my friend,
XOXO, Marian
FINDING INSPIRATION PROMPT
What annoys you? (Politics)
What makes you laugh? (Lil’ Dicky)
What are your biggest fears? (The Apocolypse)
What do you wish you could change about the world? (Martin Scorsese)
Searching Netflix? What title would you click on that isn’t there? (working on it)
Okay now you…