Every author can attest to one common foe—the Writer’s Block.

You sit staring at a blank screen, wishing your brain to get back to the required flow of thoughts like a child wishes on a falling star. The result? Nothing. Nada. A few hours, days or even weeks later, you are still looking at the same blank screen.

Writer’s block can be frustrating and at its worst, it can even make you quit on the writing project entirely. Read on to know the causes that create this fiend and how to conquer it effectively.

What Causes Writer’s Block?

  1. Fear

Writing can sometimes cause overwhelming fear. As a writer, you often face questions like ‘Where do I start?’, ‘What topic should I write on next?’ or ‘Am I good enough?’ The most prominent fear is that of being judged. Whether you publish a non-fiction journal, a novel or even a blog post, your work is up for criticism and/or appreciation by the world. This can sometimes paralyze your thought process and hence prevent you from writing anything in the first place.

  1. Perfectionism

If you keep rewriting and editing a piece in order to make it perfect you will end up disrupting your creativity. Striving for perfection to get the perfect introduction, or the perfect climax to your story that strikes the right chord with your readers is recommended, revising and editing even after that will only make sure that you never actually hit Publish on that work.

  1. Distractions

A sneak peek at your social media (let’s be honest nobody sees just one Instagram post and puts down the phone), taking a half an hour break to catch up on Netflix (you know the addiction, you can’t stop yourself from moving on to the next episode), or interruptions from your family or friends. These are unnecessary distractions that make beating the block almost impossible.

There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write. ~ Terry Pratchett Share on X

How do you conquer a Writer’s Block?

  1. Set Your Rituals and Routines

Set a writing routine for yourself. For example, promise yourself to be at your desk ready to tap the keys of your laptop every day at 9 a.m. Also to enhance this routine you could set up a ritual. For example, making yourself a cup of coffee, watering your desk plants, and then beginning writing. These routines and rituals help to prepare you for writing and facilitate your creativity.

  1. Do Something Creative

When you want to take a break from writing, instead of zoning out on Netflix—paint, doodle, write a poem, create an origami figurine or even create stuff out of LEGOS. Do anything you like that requires creativity and is fun to do.

  1. Freewrite

Write absolutely anything. It does not have to be related to your current project. Do not restrict yourself in any way. Set a timer, perhaps an hour, where you write without any regard to context, spelling, grammar, or punctuation. The objective is to let the creative juices flow, so even if some boring and childish stuff comes to mind, write it.

  1. Use Writing Prompts

If writing on a random topic does not excite you, use writing prompts. Working on prompts for short stories is a great way to kick-start your creativity.

  1. Piecework

Do not be obsessed with a thrilling introduction. Start from the middle or write in pieces. Flesh out any idea you have now and rearrange it in your story later. The point is to start writing and not stay stuck with a blank page.

  1. Turn off Media

Put the notifications on your phone on silent, switch off the TV or radio. If you can finish your research before you start writing so that you can turn off the Wi-Fi too. If dead silence bothers you, play some classical or jazz instrumental on a loop or the sound of rain. After a few minutes, your brain will stop focusing these sounds and push them into the background along with other ambient noises.

  1. Do Not Procrastinate

Drawing on our first tip—make a routine and do your best to follow it. Stop waiting for inspiration to strike or for the right time to write. Procrastinating never helps. Morning turns to evening or a day turns to almost a week, leaving you with nothing but self-loathing for not making any progress.

  1. Step Away from Your Desk

Fresh air and exercise are known to stimulate your mind. Go out for a walk in the park with your dog; swim; practice Zumba for an hour or half; anything that gets your body moving. Alternatively, wash the dishes, or fold the laundry; the goal is to do tasks that is more of muscle memory and does not require much attention.

If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to ­music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don’t just stick there scowling at the problem. But don’t make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people’s words will pour in where your lost words should be. Open a gap for them, create a space. Be patient.

~ Hilary Mantel

  1. Meditate

Meditation helps you gain focus among chaotic ideas and enhance your creative thinking. Meditate at least once a day to go about the writing process calmly instead of getting overwhelmed.

  1. Set fun challenges for yourself

Pick a writing prompt and set a time to complete a short story. If you are usually into writing long articles challenge yourself to write a fifty-word story. Try writing poetry on any object in your room in five minutes. Make your writing fun for a while instead of making it a chore.

  1. Analogue It

Sometimes all you need is a pen and a pad. So sit down with a pad and bring along some pencils, coloured pens or markers anything that gets you excited to write.

  1. Write and Not Edit

Self-criticism can really hamper progress at times. First drafts are never perfect; understand and accept that. While writing, keep your perfectionist hat aside and do not bother editing. Always remember this is not getting published as soon as you finish typing.

  1. Brainstorm

While you are unsuccessfully forcing your mind to complete your current story, try doing something different and yet productive. Think of new blog ideas and create rough outlines, or create outlines for short stories to be used later. Outlining ten or twenty ideas is much easier than detailing a single one. Who knows while creating outlines some idea might strike you for your current writing project!

Bonus Tip:

Very often, the Writer’s Block sets in because you have stopped yourself from writing what you feel strongly about. Perhaps you are not sure how it would be received; perhaps it a contrary opinion; perhaps you are not too sure of your facts or maybe you feel strongly compelled to write in a genre you have never attempted before. There could be any number of reasons. Until you get that bit of writing out of your system though, you may remain suspended in the Blocked zone.

Pretend that you’re writing not to your editor or to an audience or to a readership, but to someone close, like your sister, or your mother, or someone that you like. ~ John Steinbeck Share on X

Write about the things you feel compelled to write. If you are reluctant to hit Publish on it, email it to a close friend—the one who gets your thought process perfectly—and ask them for feedback. Perhaps their feedback will convince you to hit Publish after all. Else, you will at least have gotten the thing out of you and cleared the mind-space.

Final Thoughts

Writing is a creative process and hence is difficult at times. The key to completing your writing projects is to have faith in yourself and not succumb to being overwhelmed by writer’s block.

Don’t fall into the trap of telling yourself that you are waiting for inspiration to arrive. Inspiration prefers to perch on the shoulder of someone who is already at their desk writing away; not of someone who is desultorily scrolling their social media feed for hours on end—watching those awful videos and sighing over other people’s holiday photos. #TrueStory.

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. ~Jack London Share on X

Even famous authors have their own ways to deal with writer’s block. Experiment with the above techniques and find out what works for you. Try to have fun and know that maintaining a routine where you show up and sit down at your desk to write is the first step towards conquering the foe.

Have any personal favourite you would like to add to this list? Let us know in the comments below!

Saumya is creative, particular, quirky and focused. She paints colourful pictures with words and pigments.