Part 1
About writers block and how to kick its *ss!
For many years, I’ve been involved in creative projects and know the creative process well. I can honestly say I’ve never experienced writer’s block, and I don’t think I ever will. That doesn’t mean I churn out award-winning novels or ground breaking ideas all the time, but I always have something to write about.
I’ve published two books: “3 Stones for the Nixie” and “A Battle Against Demons“. Besides that, I’ve written countless commercial texts for small and large companies, two albums, singles, blogs, poems, and concept strategies. I’ve led numerous creative workshops and seminars, and my creative process has never come to a halt. I can always push things forward, and my words never dry up!
“Writer’s block is a phony, made-up BS excuse for not doing your work.” – Jerry Seinfeld
Writer’s block is when you feel stuck in a project, unable to write your way out of it. You feel performance anxiety as what you write isn’t good enough and lacks potential. You desperately want to create something others will love. Often, writer’s block strikes when you’re working against a deadline.
There’s a saying, “perception is reality”. In other words, what you believe becomes true. So, if you believe you have writer’s block, then yes, you do.
“Stopping a piece of work just because it’s hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it, and sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing to do is shovel shit from a sitting position.” – Stephen King
It’s proven that you become what you think. Your brain gets better and better (or worse and worse), more and more locked into what you think frequently about. Eventually, it becomes routine (“neurons that fire together, wire together”). Fortunately, you can break these routines and force your brain to literally think in new ways, creating new habits and thought patterns.
It’s all in your head
Writer’s block is a myth because you don’t suddenly forget how to write. You can always write something, can’t you? Not knowing where to take the story next is, of course, a challenge, but it’s no excuse not to write. Especially considering that you need to write to solve the challenge.
Breaking the Curse Lies in Preparation
Every creative project has a phase where things get tough, and words are hard to find. Fortunately, these phases are common and relatively easy to get out of. Based on John Cleese’s “5 Steps to Prepare for Creativity”, I’ve developed a process that ensures I’m always one step ahead of writer’s block.
01. Time – Plan When You Will Work Creatively
I write everywhere – in the car, on the train, and at the dentist’s office. But spontaneous writing is something I do in addition to my planned writing time. It’s the scheduled sessions that drive me forward and give me the ammunition to write spontaneously when the opportunity arises.
The time you can dedicate to writing will naturally vary depending on your situation, but you should have several sessions each week where you know exactly when you’ll start and finish. For example, my alarm always goes off at 5:45 a.m., so I can write for a little over an hour before my regular workday, family time, nursery runs, school, football training, etc.
One advantage of starting early is that I can relax for the rest of the day, knowing I’ve already written for at least an hour. Any additional time I get to write is a bonus. I also plan writing weekends where I lock myself in a cabin with no contact with the outside world (not as often as I would like).
I have such limited writing time that there’s no room for writer’s block. Even if I don’t feel inspired, I can’t wait for ideas to come to me. I have to find them myself.
No, I’m not going to check Facebook, write an email, or do laundry. I’m going to write!
Tip! Set fixed times to write. Book yourself into your calendar. Anything you write outside these times is a bonus.
02. Time – Set Enough Time
Finding your flow can take a while, and once you’re in the groove, you won’t want to stop until you’ve said everything you need to. Ideally, you’ll book long sessions (don’t forget breaks), but you should aim for at least an hour for your regular sessions. If you only have 30 minutes, it’s still better than not writing at all. During my writing weekends, I write as much as 11-12 hours a day (with a run, pizza, and short breaks in between).
03. Place – Where Will You Write?
In the mornings, I write at the kitchen table with headphones on. Outside of that, I have a studio (where I also record music) with a desk and a window overlooking the woods, where I can sit. Exactly where you sit isn’t important; what matters is that you can sit for your planned time and that you can work undisturbed.
Think about it – the more distractions you block out, the fewer things your brain has to handle in addition to your creative project. Can you help your brain out? Personally, I only listen to classical music because there are no lyrics I automatically pay attention to. I keep the volume to a minimum, so I don’t lose focus, and often choose music that matches the mood of what I’m writing.
A bonus of having a dedicated “place” is that, over time, your brain will recognise your writing space and what’s up. You’ll slip right into writing mode, you know, like Pavlo’s dogs.
“I spend a lot of time in the studio by my desk. Here, I can work on creative projects without interruptions. Just as I enter the room and see my deskt, I feel the creative juices coming. My brain know what coming.”
04. Confidence – Stop Worrying About What Others Think
There’s a saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” All you can do is write as well as you can; nothing more. You can never force others to like what you write – they have to decide that for themselves. You can only give them a text, and they have to choose whether they like it or not. The only thing that matters is that you wrote what you wanted to write. If someone likes what you present, that’s great, but not essential.
Tip! Choose carefully which reviews, comments, and opinions you take on board and which you leave behind.
Perfectionism is similar to writer’s block, it’s an bad excuse for not writing. At its core, it’s actually driven by fear – fear of criticism, of appearing weak, of not finishing, or perhaps fear that you’re simply not good enough. It’s easier to blame writer’s block (as a result of your perfectionism) than to release something and risk getting hurt.
Tip! Know this, your text will never be perfect! It will only ever be what it is, nothing more. A lot of people will not like it. It doesn’t matter.
05. Enjoy Yourself and Have Fun
Don’t take yourself or your writing too seriously. Overly serious and self-important people are rarely the ones who come up with the most and best ideas. You can only be yourself, and that should be enough. Enjoy the process, smile often, and laugh a lot – especially at those who might criticise you.
If you’re heading into a writing session, make sure you’re comfortable. If you’re at the cabin, light the fire, eat chocolate and crisps, and have a beer in the sauna. Enjoy yourself. At home, make sure your tea and coffee are prepped and ready to go when you start writing.
Tip! Did you know that laughing and being in a good mood, while not taking things too seriously—even in serious situations—can open up your brain? Playing, laughing, and being curious shift you from a closed mode to an open mode. It’s in this open mode that your ideas thrive.
Don’t take yourself too seriously – it’s just writing, after all.
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