Writing: Overcoming Writer's Block

The third panel I attended at the 2015 Salt Lake City Comic Con FanX focused on how to overcome writer's block:  the dreaded moment in which writers suddenly stop writing and can't get started again.  This discussion was presented by writers Cheree Alsop, Peggy Eddleman, David Powers King, Jared Quan, Nathan Shumate, and Scott William Taylor.

It's inevitably that all writers experience this stressful moment in which they can't seem to get themselves to write any more words.  This happens because of one of two things:  either there's something wrong with you or there's something wrong with your work.

If there's something wrong with you, it may be because you're sick, depressed, or there's something wrong with the environment.  If you try and force yourself to write while you're sick, you may wind up exhausting yourself, keeping you from getting better; it's best to get your bedrest first and get back to writing when you feel better.  Depression may be harder to cure, but it can interfere with your output, and should be addressed.  If you're exhausted but still try and push yourself to write at every waking hour, you may wind up suffering from sleep deprivation, which can also be a huge detriment; be sure to get enough sleep, so you'll have enough energy in the long run to get work done.  If your environment is interfering with your writing habits, you should work to make your work area comfortable and free from distraction.  The block may even be psychological; if you stop calling it a "block" and give it a different word, you may remove the negative connotation of the term "writer's block" and find yourself more motivated to keep writing.

If it's your work that's the problem, it may just be something as simple as back-tracking and changing the way the last few paragraphs are written.  If your story is going in the wrong direction, you will run out of motivation.  You may have written yourself into a corner and need to change the plot a little to put it back on track.  It helps to switch to a different project and then go back to the one that you're stuck on; a little distance can give you a refreshed perspective and allow you to overcome the block.  Thinking outside of the box can help; try to mix your story up by throwing your characters into the worst or most uncomfortable situation, or changing something to mix everything up.

In any project, there's a balance between a story's logic and creativity; an overload in one or the other can cause problems and create blocks.  Learning and research can help achieve a balance.  Brainstorming with others, such as in a writer's group, can help overcome these problems.  If you're an outliner, it's possible to over or underestimate your word count, which can throw you off; the best solution is to not stress about sticking to established wordcounts and write only what you need to.  If everything else absolutely fails, you may have to concede that the story is beyond your current abilities.  If that's the case, you may have to put the story away and revisit it later, when you're good, ready, and more knowledgeable to succeed (I've had to do this on many projects).

One of the biggest mistakes writers (or any artist or bohemian) makes is that they sit around and wait for their inspiration to hit them all at once, as if it is the sole driving force for their writing.  If you did this, nothing will happen; inspiration rarely comes up out of the blue.  One of the writers even said that when it comes to finding a muse, you have to drag her with you kicking and screaming.  Different muses work for different people, so you'll just have to give everything a try to see what inspires you the most.  For me, and many other writers, music can be a source of consistent inspiration, for any number of reasons and effects.  Exercise or outdoors activities may be inspiring for other writers.  Any number of hobbies or activities can be inspiring, so you'll just need to get out there and find your inspiration.

No matter what you do though, the most important thing is to get the first draft pumped out; you shouldn't worry about errors or whether it actually works until the rewriting phase.  You must also be cognizant of what kind of writer you are; professional writers can pump out their works because their livelihoods depend on it, but if you're writing in your free time (like I am), then you shouldn't be compelled to force yourself to write.  Forcing the writing can be worse than not writing at all. because then it becomes passionless and awkward.  Also keep in mind that some people have to write and other people have something to write; don't try to be the writer that you're not, and focus solely on what your goal is.

You might hear somebody say that "plumbers don't get plumbers' block" or "accountants don't get accountants' block." That analogy doesn't really work, because being a plumber or accountant are based on facts and procedures; being a writer is a creative process, which is naturally organic, abstract, and unpredictable.  If your work comes to a standstill, there are a number of things you can do to fix the work or get yourself back on track.  If you make the effort and try some of these tips, you may find yourself inspired and writing again in no time.