Have you ever gotten stuck on a writing assignment, unable to type any more words despite the looming deadline? It can be frustrating to stare helplessly at a computer screen with no new ideas coming to mind, wondering if you’ll ever be able to finish the project. Well, my friend, you’ve experienced the phenomenon known as writer’s block.
Although we typically associate writer’s block with creative writing, the reality is it can strike anyone doing any form of writing, from college assignments to journalism articles. It can occur during all stages of the writing process, starting with prewriting, continuing through the first draft, and staying along to wreck the editing process.
Why does this happen?
The main cause of writer’s block is often a lack of ideas. It’s like the idea-generating part of your brain decided, “No! I’m tired and I’m gonna go take a nap now!” and refused to let you move forward a word on whatever needed to be done. And this experience is no fun at all.
Another mental issue behind writer’s block might seem like the exact opposite problem, but is actually quite similarly paralyzing. In this scenario, 12 or 13 ideas are running through your head, all screaming at you to be selected. The problem is, there are so many voices and so much noise that you can’t figure out which one to choose, leaving the piece stuck in limbo. This situation is often labeled “the writer’s curse.” It may seem preferable, but it’s not really useful to have all of these half-formed ideas if you can’t work on any of them.
A third thing that can block your writing progress is when the task itself becomes so overwhelming that your brain refuses to focus anymore, mostly to avoid a stress-induced meltdown.
Or maybe you’ve gotten distracted from the task at hand, and you find yourself reading about adult cartoons or political humor or whatever else you’d rather be doing than writing that oh-so-difficult piece. It may feel much better in the moment, but you can’t put off the work forever without suffering some pretty nasty consequences. Like failing that really important assignment. Or missing out on that writing contest you were really looking forward to entering.
If reading this has gotten you feeling down about your own struggles with writer’s block, then cheer up! Everyone suffers with it from time to time, and that doesn’t make you a bad or lazy author. It just means that you’re struggling with generating ideas for your piece, and that’s a normal, human part of the writing process. And it can even be a good sign.
What do the professionals say?
Writing abilities and schedules don’t factor into this issue, as author Mike Rose tells us. In his book Writer’s Block: The Cognitive Dimension, he states that writer’s block is when you can’t start or continue writing due to distraction, anxiety or a lack of motivation.
Eric DeVillez, a Moraine Valley communications professor, believes that everyone suffers from writer’s block, but that we’ve gotten it all wrong. In his view, struggling on a writing task is actually a natural part of the process, rather than something we’re doing wrong. In fact, it may mean that you are wrestling with something interesting.
“I think that writer’s block is, in fact, frustration,” DeVillez says. “So frustration doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It probably means that you’re doing something right!”
On the other hand, Amani Wazwaz, another communications professor, hasn’t dealt with writer’s block herself, mainly due to her busy schedule, and the oversaturation of compelling books she discovers on her job.
“There is so much going on in the world,” Wazwaz said. “So many things that are happening, so much around us. So many books that are so deep. And they have a lot of issues that we can discuss, and they have a lot of background that enriches them, and ways to approach them.”
What can I do?
As we take communications and writing courses, or consider participating in this year’s MV Literary Competition, it helps to find ways to make writer’s block less of an issue.
As Rose mentioned in his book, the writer does not lack the basic skill of writing. Communication professors therefore encourage their students to free write in order to overcome writer’s block.
Communications and journalism instructor Lisa Couch always tells students to just write for ten or fifteen minutes without worrying about grammar, spelling or even coherency. Freewriting helps activate the idea-generating part of our brains, encouraging it to go into overdrive for that limited time. Freewriting also turns off that self-doubting voice in our heads, the one that is always insulting our efforts as “not good enough” or telling us, “Nobody’s gonna read this.”
Wazwaz also encourages her students to freewrite in class, telling them to just focus on getting their ideas down on paper for 15 minutes. One of her students didn’t have any idea what she would write about, but after the freewriting exercise, she filled up an entire page in her notebook.
“The student was amazed by how much her mind came up with amazing ideas,” Wazwaz says. “I’ve definitely seen that.”
MV Literary Competition seeks entries
Students are invited to submit their work in poetry, fiction, personal essays or drama. Entries are due by Oct. 10.
And even after you’re done and looking over the results, you shouldn’t feel bad about the quality, DeVillez believes. He sees the writing process as connecting dots on a line, with A being the first draft and E the result we want. To DeVillez, the bad initial drafts and editing struggles are an essential part of the journey, something to be embraced rather than avoided.
“I just keep writing,” DeVillez says. “I give myself permission to make very bad writing.”
Writing skills, like any other ability, require time and effort. And even though you can never become a “perfect author,” that doesn’t mean you still can’t produce good–even amazing–content if you work hard enough. As with all other endeavors, patience really helps.
It’s also okay to get lost in this process, to go down paths that wind up being dead ends. The ideas that don’t work out, the changes that end up being untenable, are also part of the writing process. Just like in every other part of life, failure is one of the best ways to ensure future successes.
As Rose puts it, “A failed idea in writing isn’t a failure–it’s an opportunity for you to explore and discover something new.”
Tips to Overcome Writer’s Block
- Do 10 minutes of freewriting, which means writing down whatever comes to mind without thinking about grammar, spelling or coherency. Don’t stop writing the entire time. If you get stuck, write “stuck, stuck, stuck” until your brain fills in something else.
- Do more research on the writing topic, as you may find a new fact that enables you to move forward with your project.
- Read, watch, or listen to something else if you’re doing a fiction piece. You’ll never know where you’ll get your next inspiration from!
- Take a break from writing if it becomes too stressful or exhausting. Focus on other stuff until you’re ready to return to the piece.
- Have somebody else look over your writing to suggest possible directions and changes.
- Write in an area free of distractions such as outside noise or extra screens. Close any tabs on your computer not related to writing.
- Take a few minutes to calm yourself down before writing, whether with meditation, deep breathing or drinking something warm.
- Don’t set your expectations too high for any part of writing, like a publishable first draft. It’s a journey, not a one-and-done task.
- Give yourself small rewards for finishing writing parts, but make sure they don’t keep you away from writing for too long.
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