Hello everyone, how are you doing on this glorious day? In this place that I am, the sun is hot and beating down on the world as if we offended it. I hope the weather is a bit favorable on your end.
Most of us in this community are writers. We write on subjects that we are most comfortable in so that it will be easy for us to keep on coming up with content that has quality. It does not matter what you are writing about, it could be anything at all. But there are days when you will simply turn up empty. You will just be staring at a blank screen or a blank page and there will be nothing in your head.
At that moment you would really want to write something down, you might even have an idea about what you want to write, but to begin to construct the words so you can put them down will feel so difficult and impossible.
What does this mean? Is it that you are no longer able to write? Is it that you are getting bad at your writing skill? Or maybe you need to find another hobby.
No. Not in the least.
What you experience on days like this is the same thing I experience on other days. It is what every other writer experiences, irrespective of what you write. And it is called Writers Block.
It does not matter how good you are, or how often you write, once in a while, you will be a victim to writer's block. It can’t be avoided. So the best thing to do is to know the best way to overcome it.
Sometimes, writer's block can happen when the mind is stressed. Writing requires a lot of thinking, which engages the mind. So, if the writer had been working all day or worrying about something, it might make it difficult to be able to concentrate and write. The mind will just be all over the place and unable to focus on the task at hand. The best way to overcome it is to pause the writing at that moment and rest your brain. You can do that for about thirty minutes or thereabout, do something else that will relax your mind so that when you go back to write, you will come back refreshed.
Also, writer's block can happen when you do not have enough information on the topic you wish to write on, so your mind does not even know how to begin. The only way to beat this is to arm yourself with more information. Conduct research on the topic, and you will see the words flowing in your head, waiting for you to get them down.
Yet again, another cause of writer's block can be a lack of inspiration. In this case, you do not even have any idea what to write about. You only know that you must write something, you just do not know what to write on. When you find yourself in this kind of situation, there is no need to panic. Just relax and go about your day as usual, but keep in mind that anything that happens in it could be a source of inspiration. And if at the end of the day you still do not get it, you can always go online. There are thousands of blog posts that can provide you with source materials in whatever field you choose to write on.
There are various causes of this thing called writer's block, but I will stop here for now. Maybe we will treat the rest on another day.
Anyway, I know it is not easy dealing with this thing. It might mess with your routine and your creativity. But it is usually only for a short time. Provided you really want to write, you will get those juices flowing once again.
So, my dear friends, do you find yourself struck by writer's block from time to time? The causes I listed, do they sound familiar to you? Or do you know of any other causes? Feel free to let me know in the comment section. Tell me about a time you had writer’s block and how you were able to overcome it. I would really love to know.
Image by Jan Kahanek
Thank you very much for reading, till we meet on the next post.