If you’re a writer, you’ve probably experienced writer’s block at some point in your life—or maybe you’re going through it right now. If you haven’t, consider yourself lucky, but most writers experience a creative block at some point in their journey. Every block is unique to each writer. For me, my writer’s block was a mental block that stopped me from getting any work done. It manifested as a storm of negative thoughts that would criticize how I wrote, what I wrote about and my abilities, which eventually lead to a self-defeatist attitude. I just couldn’t get past the initial stages of a project. I would get stuck in these endless cycles where I tried to come up with the perfect story idea, the perfect plot or perfect characters until I gave up after deciding that what I was working on was “boring” “lame” or “cliche.” Of course, nothing is perfect, and nothing was. And this lasted for six years. So, how did I overcome it after all that time?
Troubleshooting My Writer's Block
You see, I spent years trying to troubleshoot this problem. I read all the articles and tried all the suggestions from taking a walk, changing my environment, reading and free writing. This year in particular, I studied story structure thinking that perhaps my limited knowledge of it was preventing me from completing a story. I also took a writing course and workshopped with other writers, but even that didn’t remove the block. Sure, I obtained a better understanding of story structure, and putting my work out there forced me to produce material, but it still didn’t stop the mental process that made writing difficult. In other words, I was still dealing with those negative thoughts that nothing I did was good enough. That is, until recently, when I began to edit.
Editing and Writer's Block
I used to have a friend in college who wrote FanFiction for the Hunger Games and she would email me her chapters for me to edit them. That’s when I discovered that I really liked editing. Last week I pulled those chapters up again to practice and low and behold—I still like editing. I enjoy fixing sentences, dialogue, scenes and plot holes. My friend’s chapters had provided me a foundation to improve upon. That’s when I realized that this whole time I was troubleshooting the wrong problem.
The Real Problem
So what was the real problem with my writer’s block? The real problem was that I was approaching the writing process as an editor first. I criticized every idea I put on the page without ever giving it space to develop. To me, the first draft was the final draft, because I really wanted to publish something and if I was going to get anything published, I needed to make sure it was “good.” And that was my mistake; this pressure to be perfect was one of the reasons for my block. The other was the fact that I had been primarily using my left-brain for several years now. Being a graduate student and then a social worker, I spent many years using my critical thinking, analyzing and problem-solving skills. And this is how I was approaching the writing process.
The Solution
"I recognized that there were multiple processes involved in the crafting of stories."
So, I made changes to my perspective and then to my writing process. I recognized that there were multiple processes involved in the crafting of stories. There is the writing process, which is primarily a right-brained activity and the editing process, which is a left-brain activity. Each process has a unique purpose. Think of it like mining for gemstones. First you have the rough and then you sift through that rough with a sieve. The rough is produced by the writing and the gemstones are discovered via the edits or the “sieve”. So, I began to treat my first drafts as exploratory drafts to generate story material and the edits are now where the real work lies. Ever since I began to do that, I have been able to write at least 800 words per day. And that’s because when I write now, I don’t judge what I write. I remind myself that that will be the job for my inner editor when it’s time to edit.
Some Advice
If you’re struggling with writer’s block and feel like this problem is similar to the one you’re facing, perhaps this may help you. In the end though, figuring out how to overcome your writer’s block will be unique to you. My recommendation is that you sit down and ask yourself three questions:
- What got you to write before the block
- What got you to keep writing
- What do you enjoy most about crafting stories?
This will help you Identify what worked in your writing process and what has changed over time. Most importantly, it will remind you that you are able to write because you did before.
If you tried my method of overcoming writer’s block, let me know about it in the comments below! Until next time ,good luck fellow writer!
Hi! Shantal here. I’m a writer and a storyteller. I created Shantal Writes to share my experiences with writing fiction. I also provide new writers with tips, tools, and writing advice. I hope you find something helpful while you’re here!
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