I think there are many obstacles writers need to get around. For me, it’s writer’s block. It just seems to come up so abruptly and there is nothing I can do. I just have to give up trying and come back another day.
I think it comes from various places, writer’s block. Sometimes, I have plenty of ideas and I will be working with these ideas and thoughts and it just crashes. I think the best way around it is to understand where it comes from.
Is it something that is distracting me physically? Maybe there is a lot of noise outside that is causing me to lose concentration. Sometimes we don’t really notice it, like a lawnmower or a dog barking until it finally drives us to distraction.
Other times it could be a pain, not feeling very well or just feeling a bit blue. Emotional exhaustion or stresses from work and other relationships can also trigger it. When there is something pressing on my mind, it can be hard to think around it until I address it.
The flow of creativity can just stop or the actual ability to keep moving crops up. It’s so frustrating, but I am aware that I can’t just make it happen. Wishing it so doesn’t make it so.
Thinking about what is causing it helps me get around it. I often wonder if it’s my subconscious telling me that the idea won’t work, needs more work, or just isn’t very good.
Sometimes, when I have an idea, I get it down and write away at it, just to reread it a few days later and hate it. I think that is quite common but it is hard for me to just throw away ideas. I like to try and flesh them out.
Sometimes it is just better to think about the idea or the scene I was trying to write away from the regular process of writing. Often, it will seem a bit clearer to me, what I was trying to see or say. Sometimes, I’m just sketching cats.
Other times the writing I do in the morning can help me see a better way around the snag. Free writing is a great way to unblock stuff because it turns up a lot of things that are floating just beneath the surface.
I guess it helps to get the garbage out in order to get back on track. There are always things that are gnawing away at us that we don’t really see. Unless they are faced, they can bleed into our work or hinder it.
Anyhow, I find writer’s block rather difficult to deal with but there is no point getting upset. I find there is just no point in trying to force it because nothing really happens, anyway.
Then, I just get more upset. Maybe stepping away from the actual writing process and allowing thoughts to flow and dance around inside my head is a better way through it all than getting frustrated. But I do find it frustrating.
I do think that when I am under stress, it is worse. How ironic that having writer’s block causes me stress and the stress causes writer’s block. It seems cruel, somehow.
A positive outlook is what is needed to get around it. Getting upset and convincing myself I have lost it, or my creativity has dried up is not helpful or constructive.
I love the process of writing and tapping into these ideas. As long as I retain the ideas, I can come back and work on them the next day, or a few days later. Maybe sometimes I push myself too much.
When there is something else on my mind, it can be difficult to let it go. I take a walk in the park or exercise to try and relax and distract to see if I can discover if there is something I need to look at.
Stresses at work, family stuff, finances, and uncertain times can make us all doubt our best abilities. Its hard work being a writer and it’s even harder to keep being a writer.
So, even though I still have the urge to keep working when writer’s block strikes, I know it is futile and I need to come back to it with fresh eyes and a clearer mind.
Writer’s block hits all writers, I assume. I don’t like it because I feel like I’m losing precious time when I could be getting down some great ideas. Inspiration comes on in various places, and so it will again.
Writer’s block is very frustrating but perhaps it is my mind telling me I need to take a break and find a new angle for the idea I was working on. Perhaps it’s just my imagination putting on the brakes.
