Writer’s Block

I remember years ago someone saying there is no such thing as writers block. It means you don’t know your story or your characters well enough or you don’t know where you are going.  Research your story, learn more and writers block will disappear. For a long time, this worked for me, but for the last eight or nine months I’ve been having all sorts of challenges.

Wikipedia defines writer's block as a condition in which an author loses the ability to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. This loss of ability to write and produce new work is not a result of commitment problems or lack of writing skills. Other people say it’s caused by fear, perfectionism, or timing – not the right time to right. Maybe you need to think about the story for a little longer.  Okay, great so what do I do. It may be a little of the last, timing, but months later that shouldn’t continue to be an issue.

I plan to write, but there’s always something that interferes, and I don’t get to it that day, or the next, or the next and weeks pass and then I need to familiarize myself with the story. I write for a day and repeat the cycle. So obviously I have writer’s block. But what to do about it.

Many suggestions I’ve read might work if it’s only been a day or two, but I have a routine for my writer’s block. Things like go for a walk, read a book, change your environment, listen to music or do something to get your blood flowing like jogging. Free write, develop a writing routine. I think I had one before I hit this dry spell and I only have one, maybe two chapters until I finish the book.   The other suggestion is quit the internet and I’m thinking this might be necessary. I need to keep my blog up, do my emails, write a newsletter, etc., everything but writing. And then I run out of time.

After writing this blog I think I’m going to go back and develop my writing routine and try to cut out internet until I’ve done an hour of writing, even if it’s garbage, each day. Wish me luck.

Would love to hear your story and how you overcame writer’s block.