Writer’s Block: Embrace It and Learn

This month’s nugget of wisdom will be about what every writer, no matter the type, can agree is the bane of their existence. It is a wraith; a nefarious shadow, swooping into the creative mind with such lethal efficiency, you never know it is there until its claws perforate your skull. Putting metaphor aside for the moment, I am referring to the infamous, if not crippling, phenomenon known as writer’s block.

The Wikipedia article linked at the end of this post stipulates, Writer’s Block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. It goes on to say, Writer’s Block is not solely measured by time passing without writing. It is measured by time passing without productivity in the task at hand. In addition, the article describes causational factors and potential treatments when writer’s block is potentially caused by an actual brain injury.

I found this information to be interesting in a clinical way, however, I often prefer a more philosophical and Zen approach to addressing the ways life continuously challenges us. I found Jeff Goins blog post, How to Overcome Writer’s Block: 14 Tricks That Work equally interesting, balancing common sense with actionable suggestions, one of which I plan to explore by testing a product called, OmmWriter. Trying out new approaches can often be the very thing needed to overcome a stifling roadblock.

You may have already guessed but the intent of this post is to chronicle my own, recent episode with writer’s block. I encountered it when I wrote the first version of book one under the title, The Dark Traveler and again with The Cradle of Destiny. In both situations, there was no rhyme nor reason in either situation and I eventually clawed my way out of it. Those prior situations had one commonality of it happening near the end of each book. The fact I encountered it when working on chapter five of The Fury of Ages is a little befuddling.

Obviously, there is no one size fits all approach to overcoming it because the stressors and covert nature of its manifestation affects everyone uniquely. This is why my own revelations and methodology will not work for everyone; however, it is my hope it will, at the very least, assist those looking for guidance. Although it can be hard for some to seek out solutions from other content creators, the path one should never take is one laced in frailty or lack of intelligence. Neither are applicable when the brain wants to take a detour.

Over the course of my own writing, I have discovered, after some well needed meditation, when I encounter a block of any kind it is usually the result of two, primary factors, which I will get to momentarily. A key element is understanding how your creative process engages the desire to, well, create. Typically, I find sources through listening to soundtracks, especially orchestrations lead by some of my favorite conductors such as John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Jeff Russo and Danny Elfman to mention a few. These tie into the same movies and streaming content, which have inspired me to write by producing colorful visuals.

Another tactic I employ is sitting down and re-watching movies I never grow tired of and asking myself, what is it about them which never bores me. In some cases, it is the characters; how they handle difficult situations, how they creatively use their words to momentarily disarm the antagonist to how their innovative talents are used to neutralize threats against them. I am also one of those who prefers to hold an old-fashioned book in his hands and read whatever tickles my fancy. The theme here is getting back to the basics.

One of the two factors I referred to earlier involves understanding the role of distractions, which is my roundabout way of saying, get rid of them. I know, easier said than done. Yet, if you are serious about getting back on track, developing an understanding of what distracts you and using techniques to eliminate them will help in the long run to get those creative juices flowing again.

If you have read any of my prior posts, especially in the last year, you already know my primary distraction, which boarders on the obsessive. You guessed it, computer gaming. I have done marginally well in not allowing it to take away from what matters most, my writing. On a couple of occasions its talons have latched back on to my shoulders and drawn me back. Even so, it did not take me long to realize it and make the proper course corrections. A particularly nefarious aspect are the justifications to “treat yourself” after an exceptionally difficult day at work or challenging week by saying, “Spending a little time playing (insert game of choice), will not hurt.” Trust me, it does.

The second factor and possibly more relatable, comprises self-awareness, which I have written about in numerous posts over the years. One of the most important things I have learned about how inspirational mind blocks take place within me is this; it is my mind telling me to approach what I am writing differently and what I am writing is not ready to be written. It can sound rather circular but if you sit down and put the entire creative process through its paces, you will find it makes perfect sense.

The conundrum I faced recently, while attempting to write chapter five of The Fury of Ages is a primary example. The fifth chapter of the second book is fairly low-key but necessary to convey continuity. This type of content is what I like to call, clean-up items. Here I had everything properly laid out in a rough outline, because I discovered long ago, I was putting too much time into structure and not enough BIC or butt in chair as a good friend of mine and editor puts it.   

Chapter five’s premise focused on one of the three primary storylines for the Sy’Arrian Legacy Series by tying up smaller story building items involving one of the antagonists, Raleous plus the introduction of a new one. It should have been a fairly subdued, easy to write and quick to finish chapter. When I sat down to write it with zeal and enthusiasm, I found myself staring at a screen with barely over a paragraph of content. Over the course of a few days, I was able to eke out roughly 2.5 pages before realizing, I was trying too hard to make it work. Therein lies the object lesson.

I suspect many of you can relate to situations of trying to, essentially, put a round peg into a square hole. Our desire to stay on course with story building and what we think progress should look like, will often overshadow where our creative energies are attempting to guide us. It is a very similar phenomenon when we plan out a characters evolutionary path, begin to write dialogue and through the course of said dialogue, our characters open their mouths and effectively shot to hell everything we had planned. As I have mentioned in previous posts, we writers are not in charge because everything changes the minute words begin scrolling across the screen.

When I talk with people about this nuance, I often receive a frown with a slight tilt of the head, which tells me they think I have a screw loose. What many non-content creators do not understand is the creative process has a mind of its own. Yes, they are one and the same, but can often feel like a split personality. As the writer, I am merely a guide who provides a drop of wisdom and slightly nudges where necessary to keep the story from turning into a hot mess.

On the other hand, the creative process is the driving force, which forges ahead at the speed of light, thereby expecting you to keep up or be left behind. When the ideas are flowing seamlessly and the fingers are whisking across the keyboard with barely a pause, you are in the tail of the comet the creative process has created as it navigates the universe you have shaped.

In contrast, if you attempt to insert content the creative process is not ready to receive, you will begin falling several light-years behind. If you ever find yourself staring endlessly at a screen with barely any written content and a mind bouncing from one topic to another, stop what you are doing. Resign to the fact of whatever you had planned is not going to happen in that moment.

As I mentioned previously, it is not a sign of fragility, lack of motivation or deficiency of the brain. In fact, your brain is actually telling you what it needs in order to move past the proverbial writer’s block. It is our stubbornness and unwillingness to accept what we originally created for a particular content creation session, will not be happening in the moment we want it to. This is why developing your self-awareness is key to understanding how the creative process works uniquely within you and can serve to benefit you in all of life’s endeavors.

Once I stepped back and asked myself, what is my mind trying to tell me here, I realized the content I was attempting to write for chapter five was meant to be used in a not-too-distant chapter. I re-evaluated the course of my storylines and realized a chapter introducing new elements for the second book to be more appropriate. Naturally, it has resulted in a slight pause to create much needed background information for a couple characters, a new race, and the planet they live on.

I embrace these moments because it allows my brain to tell me when it is appropriate to create structural components. The world I have created is massive and, at this point in time, I do it all. I do not have a development team or company behind me to help time manage every element I am currently working on, which I believe applies to most of you.

Our brains are a swirling mass of details. We to have pluck, very carefully I might add, specific pieces to develop and make sure they fit in the right place of a puzzle, we will be able to call one day, a finished story worthy of telling.

So, give yourself a break, step away from the keyboard, and listen to your creative voice. You might actually like what it has to say.

Feel free to post your questions or comments. I will respond when I am able. Be safe, be well, and allow compassion to manifest while we continue to navigate a crazy but beautiful world.

Thank you for reading.

Writer’s Block Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer%27s_block

How to Overcome Writer’s Block: 14 Tricks That Work: https://goinswriter.com/how-to-overcome-writers-block-2/

OmmWriter: https://ommwriter.com/description/