Writer’s Block: Urban Legend or Legitimate Obstacle?

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

We’ve all been there: we’re sitting in front of the keyboard, monitor up and ready to go. Maybe you’ve slotted in time to work on your novel, get started on an essay, or you need to send a cover letter to that prospective employer. And you’ve got… well, nothing.

Maybe you wrote a sentence or two, and from there it just fizzles out.

If only your brain would join the party and collaborate with you. Ohhhh, yeah. I know that feeling.

Me: Okay, let’s get cracking.

Brain: *Stamps foot* I don’t wanna.

Me: C’mon! I’ve already caffeinated you – twice!

Brain: *Sniffs, looks at the ground* True.

Me: And I let you watch those two episodes of Schitts Creek.

Brain: *Chuckles* Disgruntled pelican, killed me, haha!

Me: Plus, we did the housework – including the skirting boards. Time to get your butt into gear.

Brain: What about that feature wall we want to paint?

Me: *Sighs* We’re not painting a feature wall.

Brain: But you–

Me: WE’RE NOT PAINTING A FEATURE A WALL.

Brain: YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME. *Brain exits the chat*

Me: *Facepalm*

Is writer’s block a real thing? Or is it something we say to ourselves when our heart and mind just aren’t in it at that point in time?

While studying my degree in writing and publishing many moons ago, I remember two lecturers of mine – who were fantastic, by the way – who had very different opinions about this. One believed that writer’s block is real, and something we can experience when the brain ‘checks out’. The other, believed writer’s block didn’t exist at all. Like it was in the same category as ‘affordable housing’ and ‘all drivers use their indicators’. They were certain this notion was something we used as an excuse for decreasing our writing productivity.

I was shocked by the latter, as the above scenario of me vs my brain could be a regular argument, especially when working on my novels or 10,000-plus word assessments that required longer periods of time commitment. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy what I was writing – it was my novel, after all and I wanted to be the one to write it.

Determined to find out if my writer’s block was legit, I did some research. One of the advantages of living in a digital age, is we can type in Google:

If you’re like me, I recommend giving some of these search suggestions a go. If they work for you, fantastic! If not, you can try other methods that I adapted whenever I found myself struggling to put two sentences together. Here are just a few exercises I do when writer’s block seems to take over.

The 5-minute race

I’m not a huge fan of running so don’t despair – it isn’t that kind of race. It is a race against time and yourself. The idea is simple: set five minutes on your clock or phone and write about anything. When I say anything, I really mean that:

· What you did from the moment you woke up today

· Plans for the weekend

· What you’re cooking for dinner

· What food you're craving (tacos may turn up a lot during this exercise)

· Why did Game of Thrones end like it did? (Too soon?)

· What you would do if you won $50, $50,000 and/or $500,000

You get the picture. Type or write your current stream of consciousness in those five minutes. You’d be surprised at how many words you get down when the timer goes off.

This method is often a favourite I use in cleaning too. I set my stopwatch for 5-10 minutes and see what I can clean in one room during that time. It’s the exact same approach to writing.

When you’re done, you should feel buzzed enough to crack out another five minutes, or just keep going until you feel you’re done. Just remember to get up and move around every hour during your time in the writing rabbit hole.

The object of written observation

This is another easy exercise to try and can also be done in as little as five minutes.

Pick an object in the room you’re in. If you’re sitting in a café, the object could be a coffee mug, the table you’re sitting at, or even an item of clothing another patron is wearing (preferably, without being creepy about that last one).

If you’re sitting at home, pick an object in your bedroom or office: a photo, a pen, your bedspread, etc. Keep it simple. Describe the object first.

· What does it look like?

· What colour is it?

· How big is it?

Once you’ve described what it looks like, write down how it makes you feel. If it’s a coffee cup, describe the sensation of that first sip. If it’s a pen, you can mention where you got it from and why you use that particular one over another.

From there, let your stream of consciousness run with it and write down whatever comes out. Even if it starts with the pen and ends with the cat by your feet, just keep going.

Bribe your brain

You read that right: bribe your brain.

I’ve done this before – more than once or twice – and it also gets me results.

I start off by writing down everything else I need to get done in the day that doesn’t involve my writing. I try to do this the night before, especially if I have a busier than usual day ahead. These aren’t necessarily things I find more fun than writing – far from it with some of them – but I use them to bargain with my brain when it wants to do anything but writing.

Here’s an example of an actual list I wrote not long ago:

1.  Vacuum floors

2.  Mop floors

3.  Walk the pup

4.  Make cheese scones

5.  Clean bathroom

6.  Call Mum

My brain, on this day, wanted to call Mum first. Now, I could have told myself to call her and then write more of my novel but I know my brain. It would take that as a sign of victory, which I just couldn’t allow. So, I made a deal: write just one page of the new chapter then call Mum. I also sweetened the deal by adding: write just one page of the new chapter then call Mum with a nice hot cup of coffee to sip as we chat.

It may feel strange at first to treat your brain as a separate entity – it is you after all – but you may surprise yourself.

If one page is too much, make it half a page or even a paragraph. You may find that you’re on a roll and want to keep going once you start. If you finish a paragraph and need your Mum fix, go for it! You’ve written a paragraph, which is better than nothing. And you managed to negotiate with your brain. It’s a win/win either way.

There is no right or wrong with these exercises. The purpose is to get your brain collaborating with your hands to get it down on paper or on the screen.

As I mentioned previously, there is a smorgasbord of sites and articles on how to break your writer’s block. Find what works for you. There may be several techniques that can help.

If nothing seems to work, you could be doomed…

I’m kidding!

It could mean that you have more pressing matters on your mind, taking priority to your writing and that’s okay too. It’s all a process and you need to find what resonates with you to get it done.

Until next time, happy writing!