Free Advice: How to Block Writer's Block

Imagine this scenario: you have slept well, so are fresh and ready to write. You have your chapter title and a clear two hours ahead of you with nothing to do but pour your heart and soul into a compelling and well-written chapter. The only problem is that as you attempt to write the first sentence, nothing is coming to mind. You push through it and write a couple of paragraphs, only to read them over and realize that they don't fit into the flow of your book. You take a deep breath and start again, only to write another couple of paragraphs that, upon re-reading, sound like they were written by someone else and for a story that isn't yours.

What's going on? How can this be? What happened?

Well, you have encountered the dreaded "writer's block", and it's terrifying. It is terrifying precisely because it's not clear what is causing it, and it isn't obvious how long it will last. Will it clear up in the next fifteen minutes, or could it persist for another fifteen days? The irony of the whole thing is that the more you stress about it, the worse it seems to get. The worst part, at least for me, is that is makes me question whether I am cut out for writing at all.

So, what are you supposed to do? How do you block out writer's block?

If we approach it like an engineering problem, the first thing to do is to identify the root cause. There is no point in treating the symptoms through hacks and tips, when the underlying issue hasn't been addressed. And when we dive down deep into the cause of writer's block, we find that it is likely one of the following two reasons:

1. You've lost perspective of your story. This is the most prevalent reason for losing your writer's mojo. Remember that you are telling a story, not writing a sentence, paragraph, chapter, or even a book. The story is what is important here. As with any engineering project, there is only one purpose to the whole thing—to achieve the outcome of the project. If someone is paying you to build a skyscraper, they want a skyscraper, not a bridge, however well-constructed it may be. Similarly with writing, if you lose sight of the fundamental, underlying story you are trying to tell, you will necessarily be lost for words. Despite how much of a wordsmith you may be, it won't help you when writer's block hits. Words are merely a medium for communicating stories, and are not the story in themselves. Nobody wants to read a bunch of words that are eloquently put together but tell you nothing whatsoever. Be acutely aware of what you are trying to communicate to your readers, and you will never have trouble knowing what needs to be said. If it is a story about an orphan finding her parents, then you know where you need to go—she needs to find her parents. Is the paragraph you just wrote progressing the reader to that end? If not, delete it and write it again with that specific goal in mind. That one paragraph should move the reader toward that goal, even if only by a tiny increment.

2. You haven't planned the outline as well as you could have. I find that with any engineering project, a well-defined road map for the delivery of the project is critical to ensuring it runs smoothly. I can't expect the contractors or the other engineers to know what they are supposed to do if I don't clearly know what needs to be done myself. Re-look at your story's outline and ensure that it is detailed enough that if you were to hand it to someone else, they would understand exactly what the story you are trying to tell is. I find that the more detailed the outline, the easier the writing process is, since I know exactly what I need to write to get me to the next step in the outline, and I am confident it will end where I want it to. I spend a considerable amount of time writing my outline, because it makes the writing process infinitely easier and more enjoyable.

I'm certain there may be other reasons for writer's block, but I am convinced that whatever they are, they are likely subsets of the above two reasons.

I hope you find this advice helpful, as it has served me well in keeping me writing when writer's block makes me feel like I'm not cut out for it. The next time you encounter writer's block, treat it like an engineer would, and demolish it!

Matthew Norman

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