How does writer’s block happen, and how to make it stop?
Writing this post is difficult hard.
The first sentence was erased and rewritten about twenty times. This paragraph went through the same process.
I’ve been trying to write a post about perseverance in writing, or rather, looking for inspiration to get back to writing for a good hour now.
It’s, what, less than 50 words or so?
What happened to the 500 words I could write in an hour?
Where’s the flow, the energy, my ever-so-shy but vital writer’s confidence?
How does writer’s block happen? And when does it stop?
Trigger Moment
It was the second meeting with the psychologist.
« You’re burned out », she said to me with a concerned yet professional voice, « and keeping up with waking up 4 am to write and work all day like you do is not helping you. »
« Well, I guess I need to change things up a little », was my reply. Or something close to that.
When I came back home, I sat down in front of the laptop – after putting on my trusty pj, of course.
Starting therapy was a big thing for me. the work I had to do on myself to even admit I needed professional help… dear oh dear! However, I was then ready to do whatever it took to find myself again.
One, two, three clicks later, all the Word documents were closed. I shut down the computer, put it away. I didn’t touch it again for months.
That was about three years ago.
Never since that very specific moment have I been able to get back into a steady writing routine… despite the numerous posts I wrote about it!
The Science of the Writer’s Block
Every writer goes through a « it’s not happening on the page » phase.
I’ve been there before, but never ever for that long.
Every time it seems to be going well again, guess what? Yep, no, it’s not happening.
Maybe you heard of semantic satiation, where a word loses its meaning because you repeat it too many times in a row.
The theory is, after a while, for writers, every word kind of loses its meaning because, yeah, you’ve been writing too much, for too long.
Since it’s not always the case, I’ve been trying to look for more answers and most essentially, for ways to get past a prolonged writer’s block.
This article by Maya Sapiurka explains a lot but also gives some tips for going through writer’s block.
The « read more » tip particularly caught my attention: I also have been through a reading slump lately. I’ve barely read two novels this month.
One more tip was added to the list of ways to beat writer’s block.
It goes along these ones:
- Break down the workload into 2 or 3 writing sessions of 20 minutes each, taking a break in between. Taking a walk, which is also a good way to get the writing going, or doing a repetitive house chore may help.
- Try something new, like a new sport, restaurant, or outdoor activity. It gets the brain pumping and the inspiration going.
- How are we doing? Fine!
Reeeallyyy?
Creativity is directly related to our well-being. Let’s be good to ourselves. Healthy comforting food, 7-8 hours of good sleep (when was the last time I slept even four hours in a row…. hum… euh… arehm…), walks in the woods.
Now, time to get going with those tips!
Thanks for stopping by, I hope this post will help you go through writer’s block.
Wishing you all the good words, fellow writers. Be safe!
Marie Alice Writes & Reads 