Writers Block:
It's All In Your Head

Do you run eagerly to work on your novel only to find yourself bludgeoned by writers block?

It's the antagonist of an author's personal story. But you can get around it if you know the reasons for it, and try some of these methods to put it to rest. Permanently.


How Do I Block Thee? Let Me Count the Ways!

I rarely feel blocked. Please don't shoot me, I can't explain it. Maybe it's because I don't have enough time to write in my hectic days, so when I do have time, my mind is bursting with ideas.

For others, cramming writing into such confines is why they get writers block.

I think that one of the most common reasons is fear of success.

Right, you say. Fear of success?

Sure. How many of you feel you don't deserve success? Come on. Don't be shy. I know I feel like that, after all the brainwashing society has thrown at me. And if you don't deserve it, you better not go after it, right? So you're basically telling your brain "block me" to fulfill that belief.

Maybe you think a variation on this theme. The "I never win at anything" syndrome. Yeah, well I can tell you that's a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you're going to fail, you're going to fail.

Ever hear this in your head? "I can't write! How can I possibly think I can sell this dreck?"

There it is. Clear as day. You don't believe in yourself. You've given yourself writers block.

Or try this one: "I don't know enough! I haven't done enough research! I can't write this, yet!"

Or, for the perfectionists in the crowd (yes, I'm one of you sometimes), you think your first draft has to be perfect.

Ever hear the other name for a first draft? Rough draft. Give yourself a break. Hemingway believed everyone's first draft was crap, including his own. If someone that renowned thinks that, you're in good company if you think the same of yours.

Any moms out there who get to the end of the day and collapse in exhaustion? Dads, who work too much do the same? Anyone else on the endless busy-busy-busy treadmill of modern life and can't get off it long enough to catch up on sleep?

Yup. There's another form of writers block. Who can write when your head's asleep? Not me. (Though I occasionally write while falling asleep, continuing to type for a moment or two after my eyes fall shut. Really!)

Maybe, just maybe, you've chosen a genre or subject you just aren't passionate enough about. If you're trying to write with this week's "Blockbuster Idea", and you don't really like writing about it, it's going to show all over your work. No one else will like what you've written, either.

If, on the other hand, you have passion for what you're writing, you'll have a fire lit under you that keeps your momentum going to the "happily ever after" end.


Busting That Block

So, how to you combat this writers block that's dogging you?

If you're writing well one day, but you're afraid you won't be able to continue with the same flow tomorrow, stop at a point that's exciting. Coming back to something you were enthusiastic about should make it easier to continue the next day.

Stopping where you're not sure what comes next is inviting writers block to beat you. If you, like me, are afraid to stop in the middle of your momentum, jot a few notes of "what happens next" at the end of what you wrote for that day. Then next day, read a couple paragraphs or a page of yesterday's work to jump start you.

Don't let a lack of research stop you, either. If you aren't sure whether your heroine would wear a dress with a bustle or not, make a note (I like to use CAPS to remind me to go back), look it up, and fix it on a revision day, not a first draft day.

If that hasn't helped, try typing something like "Darn it, why can't I write anything right now? This is so stupid. I want to write. I know I can write..." Just putting words on that blank page may get the juices flowing.

Set limits. I usually write 5-10 pages a day, minimum, on "work" days. More often a chapter. (Remember, this is rough draft, not polished.) On off days, I allow myself to make that one page, if need be. If the task seems too big, you'll only be more intimidated, and you won't get anywhere.

A thousand words a day (about 4 pages) seems a very doable limit (to me). That may or may not seem doable to you. Work up or down from there if you're feeling overwhelmed or under-whelmed. You can do this.

If all else fails, give yourself a fifteen minute break. Take a short walk. Dance to a favorite song. Pet your cat for ten minutes. Do something to get the blood flowing, your brain distracted, then COME BACK TO IT. If you're like me, a great idea pounced while you were away from your computer, and now you're rarin' to go.


A Game By Any Other Name

For me, writers block is another name for procrastination. Overcoming procrastination means overcoming writers block, for me. So believe me, I figured out how to do so!

One of the things that worked best for me was to give myself permission to be a beginner. Everyone has to start at some point, and when I quit feeling like I had to be a pro immediately, it helped immensely.

Give yourself permission to get better, and to be good. Don't think you don't deserve it. You do!

If a complete novel seems intimidating, and that's what's causing your writers block, try a short story or novella first. Use the same dedication to making these good as you would to a novel.

Once you've written a few of these (and sold some, they were so good), you'll know you're getting better, and your confidence will rise accordingly. And with confidence, comes... a lot less writers block!

Another author, Tracy Culleton, has a method she says is a cure for writers block . She's tried it herself and found it works wonders for her. It's the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Try it for yourself, and you may never again suffer from writers block. (Clicking the link will open a new page.)

One of the newer things that has helped me a great deal is The Secret. Since I watched it (several times), I have begun finding more success in every area of my life.

If you haven't watched the movie The Secret watch it. It tells how to attract success in any area of your life. You can watch it for free by going to The Secret homepage, and clicking on the navbar button labeled "Watch the Secret".

Try any or all of these blockbusters (pun intended), and soon, you'll be free of your personal antagonist.

Go ahead. Break that block!


(A quick note for the editors in all of you: Because of the way web pages are "graded", you may notice that I've misspelled writer's block throughout my page as "writers block".

It galls me to misspell (one of my perfectionist habits), but you can't put apostrophes on web page file names, and then the search engines think you haven't matched your keyword to your page, and they don't like that.

So, my apologies to all for seeming illiterate about something so simple. It's the internet that's illiterate in that sense, though.)