Uh-Oh! Writer's Block!

Writer's Block- a condition in which a writer loses the ability to write new work.

Causes of Writer's Block:

·         Creative problems within the work.

·         Lack of inspiration

·         Distraction/procrastination

·         The project is too big for the writer.

·         Physical illness

·         Depression

·         Stress (of any kind)

·         Pressure to write or create a best-seller.

·         Feeling of failure

All of these things can make it difficult for someone to write. Personally, I have dealt with a few of them. When I was seventeen and stopped writing completely, I had thought it was because my muse had run away. In reality, I was having creative problems within my series. I had matured greatly during the process of writing the original series and because of that I felt disconnected from all of my previous work. So I developed a battle plan to fight with the writer's block that threatened to end my writing for good.

Another form of writer’s block that I experienced was due to physical illness after I had spine surgery. For several months my writing was paralyzed while I recovered. To this day, whenever I have an illness, even if it is just a simple cold, I can’t produce any writing until I am feeling better.

This is what writer's block can look like.
Photo by Chrys Fey

The two most common causes of writer’s block that I experience are due to distraction/procrastination and stress. If something stressful occurs in my life, such as an explosive fight, then I am plagued with writer's block for the rest of the day. And yes, I seriously do write every single day, but not all day every day as I tend to suffer from distraction or procrastination.

I've procrastinated about writing more than I like to admit and when I realize that's what I am doing I force myself to write and the end result is often  a gigantic writer's block that lasts anywhere from a day to weeks. Even if I am on a roll and in the midst of an action packed scene, I’ll get up and walk away from the computer as if I’m searching for a distraction. I yell at myself every time I do this.

I will say this about writer's block though:

If you have a detailed plan of what you need to write in your book and if you can write something else, anything else (such as a song, poem, article, short story, or even a list of things you love) then are you really blocked?

See: Don't Give Up!

QUESTIONS:

#1: What forms of writer's block have plagued you?

#2: How do you cope with writer's block?