Your Creative Well (How to Unlock Your Creativity and Reach Your True Potential)

What Is Writer's Block, Really? And How Do I Fix It?

Writer's block is a nasty sickness that plagues writers of all ages and experience levels. But it doesn't have to control your creative life. There is a way out and you don't have to feel trapped. I hope this helps you move past this illness and finally write what you were meant to write.

What Writer's Block Isn't

Before I talk about writer's block, it's important to understand exactly what writer's block isn't. Misdiagnosis of Writer's Block can lead to creative frustration and depression.

Writer's block is not a mystical creative sickness. It's often said that mechanics don't get mechanic's block or doctors don't get doctor's block. If we lived in a world where a mystical force could strike you useless for your particular job, humanity would have a hard time surviving. Don't get trapped into thinking that writer's block is something that's out of your control. It's a very treatable condition.

Writer's block is not a dry creative well. Refilling your creative well is very important, but it's not the same issue. A dry creative well is the result of working creatively and then getting to a point where you need to stop and rest. Or you feel like you don't have any ideas.

Writer's block is not a creative burnout. Creative burnout, similar to a dry creative well, occurs when your well dries, but you need a much longer time period to refill it. This happens when you work harder than your creative muscle can handle and you need time to heal.

Defining Writer's Block

Now that we know what writer's block isn't, we can talk about what writer's block actually is. Writer's block is a condition in which your creative self is in conflict with your logical self. Writer's block is actually a form of creative block, but that term is not as widely passed around. Musicians can also run into the same issue. It's really the same problem manifest in a different creative endeavor.

When writer's block attacks, your logical self is trying to tell your creative self something profound or vice versa. This conflict is not apparent, but once we look at what causes this form of creative block, you'll see what I mean. Understanding this conflict is the very beginning of learning something new about your creative process.

Symptoms of Writer's Block

1. You stare at a blank page or a blinking cursor wondering why the words or story won't come.

2. Your character is stuck and you can't figure out how to get him out of the mess he's in.

3. You feel like you're not connecting properly with your story.

4. You feel guilty that you're not writing your story, but you get bad feelings about the story every time you think about it.

5. You find yourself going out with friends instead of slaving away in a dark corner with your word processor.

What Causes Writer's Block

1. You Haven't Planned Enough

When most people describe writer's block, they say something like: "I don't know what to write." Well, that's a big problem. Obviously, if you don't think the story idea through, you're probably not going to write anything. And if you do write something, it might not be good.

2. Your Story Is Broken

Sometimes you're having a hard time moving forward even when you know where you're going. This might be because of a deeper problem. Your writer's intuition might be telling you that your story is broken and moving forward feels wrong.