Writer’s block happened to me. ’Beardy’ says to write about it!
Every writer and non-writer who has writer friends should read this.
Something happened to me last week and it’s something I had always heard about but never dreamt about. But I got relieved knowing that I wouldn’t be the first person or the last it would happen to. Plus, in the true sense of it, it’s not a tragic event. It’s what they call writer’s block.
For non-writers [or even writers] asking what writer’s block is, it is a condition in which a writer is unable to write because they are experiencing a creative slowdown. Writers who experience this find themselves staring at a blank page for long periods of time, trying to write but being unable to find the right words.
That was what happened to me last week, hence why I couldn’t publish a new Substack post.
Seventy-two hours prior to last Friday, when I was to publish a new post, I kept on thinking and thinking about what to write about. I would put a few notes down and then erase them. I sat down, staring at my laptop for long minutes intermittently, but nothing to write about popped up in my head. I continued this cycle until Friday came and I couldn’t publish any post. I felt disappointed, particularly for my readers who had looked forward to my new post.
Later on Friday evening, I opened my Substack app, which curates all the writings of writers that I follow on the newsletter app. The first post that jumped at me was from
, a Brazilian writer who I have been religiously following on Instagram for some years. Beardy is a voracious reader and writes about the art of writing. I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from him. He writes Beard Between the Lines on Substack and Instagram.Beardy’s post that Friday was titled: Stop calling it a writer’s block. It’s not that it’s no longer called writer’s block but he thinks the feeling writers get when they are stuck is worse than that.
“We lost control of our lives and mind and some days are impossible. Too many distractions. Too many appointments. Too much work. And deep down, you know you can’t write because you’re not deep into it and because you’re thinking about your deadlines, your responsibilities, your task lists,” Beardy wrote.
These lines actually hit me. It was as if Beardy was in my mind to know what was happening to me. Before he rounded off his piece, he offered some tips on what helps to combat writer’s block.
One of the tips I really found useful was his suggestion the writer should simply write about whatever feelings they may be having at the moment.
“Start writing. Let your words come out and let them be about what you feel … Don’t start it with ‘I’m facing writer’s block, I’m miserable, I don’t even know if I’m a real writer,” Beardy wrote.
He said it’s like visiting a therapist and they ask you to talk about what you’re feeling. But in this case, you are not talking, you are writing. You’re venting all your frustrations on paper or screen. You’re putting down all the thoughts that are occupying the spaces in your mind that should belong to creating and writing.
“Then stop. Go for a walk. Be quiet for a few minutes. Get back to it and then read it aloud for you. Don’t try to edit it. Just read. Read what you wrote about your feelings,” Beardy advised.
When you do these, you will find three most important things for your writer’s life: you will find what’s blocking you and have to work on; you will have a piece of writing in front of you when you thought you couldn’t write again; and lastly, you will learn that whenever you write about what you feel, you can write a lot.
These tips from Beardy are really great and useful. But then I also explored other writings on writer’s block and found out that the main causes are:
• fear – of writers being afraid of putting themselves and their ideas out there. Fear of others judging them or criticising their work.
• perfectionism – trying to write the perfect sentence, paragraph or novel will lead most writers to never write a single word.
• self-criticism – writers comparing their work with that of other, more successful writers or even to their own earlier work.
• apathy – writers feeling constrained by the “rules” of writing and struggling to find their creative spark.
More tips on overcoming writer’s block
To combat the creative block, I found the following useful tips from Masterclass and Open Colleges:
i. Exercise: Engaging in physical exercise has been proven to help reduce stress, focus the mind, increase productivity and enhance memory.
ii. Change your scenery: Try working from a different environment like a coffee shop or co-working space the next time you feel stuck and need some inspiration.
iii. Shun distractions: Try creating a distraction-free space for yourself when you’re writing or doing creative work. This includes both your physical space and mental space. Switch off all notifications, go offline if possible, and, if you work from home, let co-workers or family members know that you have office hours.
iv. Change your rhythm: Try adjusting your sleeping times to your most creative working hours or write down your creative ideas before going to bed and then follow up on them the next day.
v. Break down your writing: Try breaking down your work into smaller segments, that is, set yourself a daily goal of words or pages so you don’t try rushing when your deadline approaches.
vi. Strive for progress, not perfection: It’s always easier to rewrite, edit, tweak, and improve a piece of imperfect writing than to try to get it right the first time round.
vii. Do something else: Get away from your desk. Do the laundry. Go for a walk. Real-life events and observations are key to keeping your idea box full and can serve as the inspiration for your best writing.
That’s it for now.
Now before you buzz off to unblock your writer’s block, are you a writer? Have you experienced creative block before? What were the tips you explored to unblock it? Could you please share them?
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