Are you an author by profession? A writer to be more precise? Are your having trouble finding your creativity for some weird reason? Well, don’t fret too much about it, almost every writer on the face of this planet has gone through what you are going through right now. If you are reading this, then you are definitely going through a writer’s block.
So, I’m sure you already know about what a writer’s block or a creative block is. However, just for those of you, who might not know what it is then let’s just simply go over what a creative block is and how it might affect a writer.
What is a creative block? How does it affect a writer’s ability to write?
Alright, so a creative block is a state of mind where a writer finds him/herself stunted. The flow of creativity simply stops and a writer finds him/herself unable to write. Sometimes, it can so bad, that a writer can’t even think of a single sentence. In simple words, it is an inability of a writer to conjure words, phrases or sentences, which help them express themselves.
See, a writer’s best weapon is their creativity and their ability to express themselves in a manner that helps them engage their readers. Even though writing is a highly subjective thing and it is impossible to measure the quality of a writer’s work. However, the only way you can find out how good a writer is by reading their work. Especially, if you are talking about a creative writer, working on a story/novel or book, then you simply need to see if a writer’s work can trigger your emotions and imagination in the way it was intended by the writer.
Now, imagine that the writer him/herself is in a bad place, as far as getting creative means. How will they come up with content, which can trigger the emotions and imagination of their readers? They can hardly figure out what to write themselves let alone trigger their reader’s imagination in the desired way. So, the effect of a writer’s block is pretty bad if you think about it. If a writer is working for a professional book writing company then they will not be able to meet deadlines and this block might even lead them to lose their job, if the block goes on for an extended period of time.
How to Get Rid of a Writer’s Block?
Getting rid of your writer’s block is something that you can do on your own. However, it is not something easy because you will have to take an initiative and proactively work for it. Some of the ways that you can use for this are as follow:
Eliminate All Distractions Around You: If you are a creative writer and if you are facing a writer’s block then the first thing you need to do is create a work space for yourself. Now, this work space needs to provide you peace and quiet, a place where you can literally hear your thoughts. Keep your phone away, tell your colleagues to not disturb you and if you are a freelancer then close all the windows and doors and keep yourself away from the T.V set.
Read Other Authors: Reading other author’s works will help you gain the words you need to express yourself. The main purpose behind reading is to get inspiration and to give your own creativity a push, which will help your creative machinery a kick start. Reading will help you to come up with different new ideas yourself.
Start Writing: “The journey of a thousand words begins with the first.”— Lao Tzu. Do not wait for your mind or creativity to come back, just start writing. Forget about making your content perfect, just start writing. Do not give any thought to grammatical errors and spelling mistakes and simply get started. Just scribble down anything and everything on a piece of paper and force your brain to come out of the creative slumber that it is in.
What Causes a Writer’s Block?
So, now that you know about what exactly a creative block is, you must also discover how writers usually fall into this downward spiral. Most of the writers who face this kind of a block in their professional writing careers may be caused by a number of factors. Some of them have a much stronger influence on a writer’s ability to conjure their creativity. However, all of them are a nuisance, when it comes to writing. Some of the things that may become a factor in blocking a writer’s flow of creativity are as follows:
- Stress: Stress can be a writer’s worst enemy. From meeting deadlines to being worried about paying your monthly rent, everything piles up on each other to take its toll on your nerves and voila, there you have it, now you have stress. Being stressed out cannot only make life of a writer miserable but in fact, it is one of the most negative things any professional from any field may have to face. Now, just so you know, there is no cure for stress. If you are alive and if you are working somewhere then you will have stress. If you are a writer then you will have to meet deadlines, it is something that cannot be avoided or helped. However, you can choose to manage it in a way that doesn’t affect your creativity as a writer.
- Distractions: Getting distracted while trying to work can be one of the most annoying and disturbing factors for writers. For a writer, getting in their zone is one of the main ingredients for coming up with exceptional and creative content. However, with too many distractions around, a writer might lose their ability to conjure their creativity and falling into a writer’s block.
- Procrastination: “Just five more minutes!” or “I’ll start working in a while”, this attitude towards your work, as a writer, will lead you towards a situation where your mind will get rusty and the inflow of creative ideas will simply seize.