As a child, I can still remember how frustrated I was over the fact that everyone else could read except me. My grandmother had an antique shop nestled between the house and the garage and my frustration led me to marching myself into the shop, grabbing a book, and telling her I was going to learn how to read it. With minimal help from the people around me, that’s exactly what I did.
My desire to read very quickly turned into a desire to write. Once I had mastered how to put words together, I wrote all the time, with all sorts of notebooks that I collected over the years, each containing fragments of plots and stories that I had written. I started several stories on computers that my grandparents and my mother owned that I never actually finished, but I enjoyed writing them nonetheless.
I was always writing. I always wanted to write. I always want to write.
And yet, I find myself (with increasing frequency these days) staring at a blank page or not bothering to pull a page up at all.
Writer’s block is an affliction that plagues every writer of every type. Sometimes, no matter how badly you want to write, you find yourself unable to put words to the page. If you’re working on a big project, writer’s block can really set you back and add more stress onto your plate than what’s already there.
Stop letting that blank page define your writing career.
Give yoga a try. Visit the gym. Go for a walk. Listen to music. Read a book. Watch a movie. Make art. Take up knitting. Run a bath. Go for a drive. Meet up with some friends. Lay down and take a nap.
I have a theory that a lot of times, writer’s block is our mind telling us that we need to take care of ourselves first before the inspiration to write can come to us. Most of the time, by taking a step back from my writing and doing something else for a change, my brain can recharge and I’m able to focus better later on.
I also think that writing consistently is key; that doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to write everyday, but find a schedule that suits your needs. The more you write, the more you feel like you want to write. Sometimes, even just something as simple as giving yourself a writing exercise a few times a week can be all that you need to get over the hump you’re stuck on. (I recommend checking out 500 Writing Prompts to give you some ideas!)
Writer’s block doesn’t have to keep you stuck forever. You’ve got this.
Katie Carpenter 