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Writer's block

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For other uses, see Writer's block (disambiguation).

Writer's block is a condition, associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task in hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked" writers have been unable to work for years on end, and some have even abandoned their careers.

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[edit] Causes of writer's block

Writer's block may have many causes. Some are essentially creative problems that originate within an author's work itself. A writer may run out of inspiration. A project may be fundamentally misconceived, or beyond the author's experience or ability. (A fictional example can be found in George Orwell's novel Keep The Aspidistra Flying, in which the hero Gordon Comstock struggles in vain to complete an epic poem describing a day in London: "It was too big for him, that was the truth. It had never really progressed, it had simply fallen apart into a series of fragments.") [1]

Other blocks, especially the more serious kind, may be produced by adverse circumstances in a writer's life or career: physical illness, depression, the end of a relationship, financial pressures, a sense of failure. The pressure to produce work may in itself contribute to a writer's block, especially if he is compelled to work in ways that are against his natural inclination, i.e. too fast or in some unsuitable style or genre. In some cases, writer's block may also come from feeling intimidated by a previous big success, the creator putting on him/herself a paralyzing pressure to find something to equate that same success again. In George Gissing's New Grub Street, one of the first novels to take writer's block as a main theme, the novelist Edwin Reardon becomes completely unable to write and is shown as suffering from all those problems. [2]

Recently, the writer and neurologist Alice W. Flaherty has argued that literary creativity is a function of specific areas of the brain, and that block may be the result of brain activity being disrupted in those areas. [3]

[edit] Notable blocked writers

Well-known writers who have suffered from block include George Gissing, Samuel Coleridge, Ralph Ellison, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Writers who overcame block and published new work after a hiatus of decades include Harold Brodkey, whose novel The Runaway Soul appeared some 30 years after it was first projected, and Henry Roth, whose first novel, Call It Sleep, was published in 1934; his second, Mercy Of A Rude Stream, did not appear until 1994.

[edit] Strategies for overcoming writer's block

Some authorities have recommended the following to those suffering from writer's block:[4]

  • Scheduling time to write and work, regardless of the quality of the output. Find writing lessons, resources, exercises, and tips online [5]
  • Engaging in brief periods of free writing or "mindwriting," in which people impulsively write whatever comes to mind. [6]
  • Join a traditional Writing Group or join a free online writing group.
  • Hire a writing mentor to encourage and guide you through the writing process.
  • Making yourself writing something new by entering a writing competition
  • Challenging negative thoughts about one's skill or ability to write.[7] (See Rational emotive behavior therapy.)
  • Using writers' exercises such as "chunking" or focus words. There are many (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4) websites that contain numerous creative writing exercises. Writers read an exercise, and do it.
  • Taking a break, meditating, or doing relaxation exercises to relieve any pressure on oneself and on the writing.
  • Doing something out of the ordinary. If writer's block comes from a lack of new ideas, attempts to spark creativity by going somewhere new or doing something different can be useful.
  • Returning to the writing after a lapse of a day or two.
  • Write a basic plot outline of the story if having problems keeping the story on the rails.
  • Brainstorming at the beginning of the writing can help the writer by relating every point to another.
  • Reading, watching movies or plays, or similar activities that might bring inspiration.
  • Going out to get some fresh air.
  • Similarly, diet and exercise are linked to optimal performance of mind and body - thus, keeping oneself in good health is important for creative output. Aerobic exercise oxygenates the brain, and walking in particular is a time honored remedy for creative block.
  • Set your writing down, go out and do something (something that will keep you busy) and then come back in a few hours with a fresh mind.
  • Try asemic writing.
  • Review and if necessary reorganize source material or notes.
  • Listen to music.
  • Draw the story.
  • Take your focus away from the main story and work on the more fun, yet none-the-less needed, side stories; the legends, mythos, backstories and simple histories of things. The break from the concrete storyline can allow for a restoration of creativity.
  • Break the vicious cycle and retake your self-confidence by writing something entirely unrelated to your usual field of word. For example, for someone blocked in the writing of a novel, write cooking recepies, political opinions, anything else. The idea being simply to reconnect with the energy of feeling able to create and write.

[edit] Writer's block as depicted in film

In films where writers appear as characters, writer's block has often been shown as part of the story.

[edit] References

  1. ^ George Orwell, Keep The Aspidistra Flying, Chapter 2.
  2. ^ George Gissing, New Grub Street.
  3. ^ Joan Acolella, "Blocked: why do writers stop writing?, The New Yorker, June 14 2004.
  4. ^ Peterson, K. E. (2007). Write: 10 Days to overcome writer's block. Period. New York: Adams.
  5. ^ Silvia, P. J. (2007). How to write a lot: A practical guide to productive academic writing. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  6. ^ Boice, R. (1990). Professors as writers. Stillwater, OK: New Forums.
  7. ^ Kaufman, C. The Writer's Inner Critic Part II: A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach to Dealing with the Inner Critic (or: How to Stop Awfulizing and Start Writing)

[edit] External links

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