Life, Words & Us

And how to deal with it.

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Dread it. Run from it. Writer’s Block arrives anyway!! Believe it or not, I am writing this out of writer’s block! I think there’s a different definition for everyone. For me, writer’s block means a state where I want to write, I have things to write about but I don’t feel like writing! It happens often. So that’s MY writer’s block. Other’s definition might involve :

• Having topics to write but not being able to find the right words.
• Having the topic & the words but not the intention to share RIGHT NOW.
• Having the words but not the content to write about, well, this one I call creativity block & not writer’s block.

You can add up your own definition for it. 

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The Path That Leads To Writer’s Block

As mentioned on Wikipedia-

Writer’s block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, 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. The condition ranges from difficulty in coming up with original ideas to being unable to produce a work for years. 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.

Read the last line again. 

Ever experienced it? Of course you did. Every writer goes through this multiple times in a single quarter. Personally, I don’t consider writing as my passion. I consider writing as my art. Just like every other artist, I have my bad days & the good ones. On bad days, I am unable to create any art, even when I want to. On good days, I create art, but I don’t get audience. Yet, I created it, so it’s still a good day. The one thing common in the bad & the good days is my will to create art! My intention never changes. All I want is to write more & more.

Even when I planned my days for writing, made strategies & tried every bit to be better everyday, like I’ve done here:

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I kind of failed terribly! I followed this for the first week. Then, I forgot about it and went all “Write anything-everyday”! So, I TRY to write as much as I can. But on somedays, I am lost! Like today. So, I decided to write about writer’s block itself!

Writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all. –Charles Bukowski

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“All the planning & research won’t matter if we’re trapped inside our heads! “

Who Traps Us Anyway? 

We’re free to write, read & think! How does it get to this point? I think it’s the pressure to outgrow our older self. To write more & better. To just DO! It’s the pressure WE put on ourselves. Our expectations with ourselves keeps on growing with our growth as well. 

A writer should be this, a writer should write this, a writer should do certain things! 

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Can you see the desperation? To be better than yesterday! To be better at my art! The above points were jot down after reading several articles about WRITERS. I had written these a year ago. Haven’t seen them since then. Just opened the notebook and clicked this picture! Just like the photograph, these points for me are way too blurry to focus on! 

“It’s the pressure to outgrow our older self”

Rules For The Writer ME- ‘Rule of Thirds Cube’

Since, I haven’t followed the above points by heart, I have been following my own set of rules which I’d like to share because for a writer, 

RULE #1 is Sharing.

RULE #2 : Write at your own pace. 

RULE #3 : Ignore everybody.

RULE #4 : Read other writers.

RULE #5 : Don’t worry about the results.

RULE #6 : Don’t rush to hit publish. Write well. Edit well.

RULE #7 : Appreciate the feedback. Good or Bad.

RULE #8 : Write out your vulnerabilities, weaknesses, anxieties & other realities.

RULE #9 : Make your own set of rules. Other’s won’t apply. You’re different.

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What Happens In The Writer’s Block?

Instead of having the ‘Rule of Thirds Cube’, I can’t really work efficiently sometimes. It’s like Voldemort has entered my head and is seeing all the things I’ve been keeping inside and is controlling me through them! The more I resist, the stronger he’s going to get! So I give in. Let him take control of the writer me. Meanwhile, I am focusing on other tasks I wanted to work on. Just like yesterday, I left this story midway and started again today. I knew I had to finish this but I still didn’t bother to write! That’s writer’s block. I read another story — “I am writing after 4 days!” or something similar to that. It gave me an edge to take a break as well. I am not the type who can write EVERYDAY! I try sometimes, I succeed as well, but at the end of it, I know I exhaust myself when I write everyday consistently and it results in writer’s block! That’s why I wrote this even before I had writer’s block. May be I had it coming!

Writing Everyday Is NOT Going To Help You

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“Today, I am determined to finally get to the finish line.”

This was the result of frustration with everyone advising otherwise! So I had my own rules and restrictions for writing or not writing! The most important thing I can share is that it took me a week to finish this story. I have been writing this everyday bit by bit, yet today, I am determined to finally get to the finish line.

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“We have been taught to look at the bright side of everything.”

How To Deal With Writer’s Block?

The fact that it took me a week to get to this headline is the first solution to writer’s block amongst others.We’ll find out how, but before we go into ways to deal with writer’s block, let’s first look into the Pros & Cons of it. YES. You read that right. We have been taught to look at the bright side of everything. There’re some here as well.

Let’s first look at the cons of writer’s block, because that’s all we know right!

• You become inconsistent.
• You feel anxious & guilty.
• You feel like you can’t write anymore & you’re afraid.
• Your stats decline.
• You aren’t productive & you can’t seem to focus on other tasks as well.

Now, it’s time to look at the bright side, the pros of writer’s block:

• You get time to recharge your brain.
• You can research on your skills & ideas.
• You can take a break & enjoy your leisure time.
• You can learn new things or do online courses.
• You can explore other talents you have.
• You can prepare for your writer’s block to be over.
• Finally, You write with a new energy & same amount of passion you had before the block.

You see? It’s all good. Now, the main question is how to deal with writer’s block? 

The Solutions:

#1: Write in bits everyday during writer’s block. (Like I took a week to finish this article).

#2: Read other writers to learn & get inspired.

#3: Understand that the block is temporary & so, you’ll need ideas to write about. Explore some.

#4: Don’t pressurise yourself to write. You’ll write when you’re ready, I promise. But, If it gets too much for you to take, sit & write anything you feel like. 

#5: Read anything, watch some movies or web series, cook some delicious meals, plant trees, listen to music, clean the house, go for a walk. Basically, spend sometime with yourself.

For me, these solutions have been enough. There may be more, depending on what works for different people. Writer’s block can be hard & daunting, but with time and patience, you can overcome anything & so this as well. I hope this was helpful. Because as writers, we ride in the same boat and we can only help each other to make it easier. 

Thanks for reading. Namaste.

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