How to Overcome Writer's Block (1/3)
- Thistle Corner
- Jan 31
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 1
However seasoned or experienced, most writers will suffer from writer's block at some point.
In this first instalment of a three-part series, you'll learn what writer's block is and why it happens.
WHAT IS WRITER'S BLOCK?
Most — if not all — writers have experienced writer's block. And it's rightly otherwise known as "the fear of the blank page".
It's simply the inability to write, to generate ideas, to produce the next chapter. The mind goes completely blank, and you have no idea how to rescue yourself.
WHEN DOES WRITER'S BLOCK STRIKE?
Usually, there are three instances when writer's block occurs:
At the very beginning of a writing project: you've no idea where to begin.
At the onset of a critical turning point in your story: the pressure to write a good story.
Just after a climax in your story: all the good stuff's over…so, now what?
“Understand specifically why you have writer's block first before you consider how to overcome it.”
PRESSURE
Consider if pressure is the issue.
Pressures are a less common but equally viable cause of writer's block. They could include:
Personal or professional deadlines.
Word count goals.
A big one: relying on writing for income and thus for your survival.
Expectations from others.
Self-inflicted pressures: "I need to be better", "This chapter has to be perfect."
These last two are quite noteworthy heavy pressures which come hand-in-hand with these next potential causes…
(If PRESSURE is the cause of your writer's block, see the following tips in the next posts in this series: #5, #6, #8, #9, #10 & #12.)
SELF-ESTEEM
Perhaps the issue transcends your writing life into your personal life. Low self-esteem and confidence are the most common cause of writer's block.
All the while you're over-judging yourself and your work, you'll never be able to create anything of true value. Just let your creativity out, and whatever happens happens!
“You can always erase it if you don't like it! No one has to know!”
You'll know you have low self-esteem in your writing if you experience any of the following:
Comparing yourself to others excessively and unhealthily.
Hyper-perfectionism: going over and over...and over...the same sentences/sections trying to make them "perfect".
Feeling that your work is worthless, that no one would ever be interested enough to read it.
Feeling your vocabulary isn't big enough.
(If SELF-ESTEEM is the cause of your writer's block, see the following tips in the next posts in this series: #2, #5, #6, #8 & #9.)
UNCERTAINTY
You could feel uncertain about:
The direction of your story.
The authenticity or historical/scientific accuracy of your story.
Whether your story is sellable.
Whether readers would like your work.
(If UNCERTAINTY is the cause of your writer's block, see the following tips in the next posts in this series: #1, #2, #3, #8, #9, #10 & #12.)
ENVIRONMENT
Sometimes, it's nothing personal. Sometimes, it's just the context you're writing in.
For some, this means:
A noisy house full of children.
Loud family members or flatmates.
Messy or disorganised rooms.
Lack of a stable writing space.
Traffic and poor weather conditions outside.
SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) could also play a part in environmental inhibitors, as well as financial difficulties whereby the home becomes a reminder of struggle.
Alternatively, you could be experiencing writer's block due to the opposite:
Your space is too quiet and uninspiring.
Your writing space is not stimulating enough, so procrastinatory habits develop: "doom-scrolling", fiddling with nearby items, etc.
Consider if any of these are preventing you from writing.
(If ENVIRONMENT is the cause of your writer's block, see the following tips in the next posts in this series: #6, #8 & #12.)
FATIGUE AND EXHAUSTION
Perhaps you've been overworked lately: too many projects, errands, and physically demanding activities. Or perhaps you're suffering from writing fatigue — you've been demanding too much of yourself writing-wise, and you need to just take a break.
If you're feeling particularly low and run-down, this could pour out into your writing, and your now-soured writing could become something in which you consequently lose interest. It could be that you're in a spiralling cycle: feeling depressed or dejected causes you to write less, which causes you to feel unproductive and distressed again, etc.
(If FATIGUE AND EXHAUSATION are the cause of your writer's block, see the following tips in the next posts in this series: #3, #8, #10 & #12.)
LACK OF INSPIRATION
Note: this doesn't mean that you're actually suffering with an inability to generate ideas!
A lack of inspiration can be induced by the causes already mentioned in this post, or it can be because you've simply lost interest in your story — or were never truly interested in the first place!
Commonly, this is experienced by writers who are writing for someone else: newspapers, agents, or simply their imagined audience (who they think their target readers are and what they like).
(If LACK OF INSPIRATION is the cause of your writer's block, absolutely all of the tips in the next posts in this series will help you, so check out them all!)
HOW TO OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK
Now that we've addressed some of the reasons why — and some of the types of situations in which — writer's block occurs, we now have a better understanding of what we're really facing. So now, how do we tackle it?
“As creatives, we never truly run out of ideas; we just run out of that much-needed mojo to put them into words!”
Stay tuned! In my next Thistle Thursday's post, you will learn 6 exercises to get your creative juices flowing again!
But first, you must consider the cause of your writing block before we can do this work together!
IT HELPS TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES
Share in the comments section or start a conversation by tagging @25ThistleCorner on any social media platform. Perhaps the causes listed in this post are the exact same ones preventing you from writing, or maybe you've got a unique cause that you want help with. Whatever it is preventing you from creating, other writers have experienced it too! See what guidance I and others have, just by reaching out!
STAY TUNED: SAVE THE DATE!
Next week, I'll share my first 6 tips to overcome writer's block! Visit Thistle Corner Homepage on 6th February 2025 to be the first to read it!
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