You sit down to write, and the words just can’t come out. When they do they seem flat and empty. You fear you’ve lost your touch, and the more you panic the worse it gets.
Traditionally many writers have dealt with this scenario by getting drunk. Other authors try hard exercise, making lists, taking a break or relaxing techniques. But by understanding the emotional roots of writer's block you can overcome creative constipation.
How Does Creative Block Feel?
“When I wrote my first book,” recounts a successful South African writer, “I had no expectations, nothing to compare my work to. If it bombed, it bombed, if it did ok I would just be grateful. But when it came to finishing my second book, I hit writer's block. Now I had something to compare my work to… and everything I wrote just seemed to be utter rubbish by comparison! I battling away at it for over a week, as the deadline grew closer and closer. I spent hours sitting unproductively in front of the computer, hating myself more with each failed sentence.”
Understand the Root Cause
The root cause of Writer’s Block is fear. In this writer's case it was the fear of her second book not receiving the critical acclaim her first had. New writers many experience a fear of failure and rejection, or even a fear of success. Some writers are afraid of releasing their manuscript into the wide world, of relinquishing control to an editor, or of the changes that being published will make to their lives.
Five Ways to Deal With Fear:
- Visit a therapist or counsellor, or find a trusted friend.Talking about your fears in a safe non-judgemental environment with someone who is on your side but is not emotionally involved, often sorts it out in no time.
- Get some perspective. This is just one book in a whole body of work you will do over your lifetime. It’s not life or death. If it’s not utterly perfect, well, so what? Do your best and leave the rest to fate.
- To break the obsessive need to get a troublesome passage right, try deliberately writing it as badly as possible. Give yourself free rein to be as hackneyed, purple-prosed, florid and over the top as you like. Give expression to the thing you most fear. You may find you relax, lose the fear, and when you go back to the passage later, it falls into place.
- If, like the writer above, you are hating yourself for being blocked, try a little love. Make a list of the good things about yourself. Tell yourself that you are brave to risk writing a book and publishing it, and many people admire you for even trying.
- Remind yourself that you are not your work.Your essential self remains deserving of respect and love, no matter what happens to you. Even if you you feel you have failed, if no one wants to publish your story, or worse, the critics pan it and it doesn't sell, you will still be lovable and deserving of dignity and respect.
Once you have released the pressure to perform, you will probably find that the words and ideas flow effortlessly, and your writer's block dissolves.
You can read more about the emotional aspects of being a writer in Dealing with Disappointment, When your Book Gets Criticized and in Writing Books that Help Children.
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