How to Deal with Writer's Block

I have a confession: I have been suffering from writer's block for a long time. No matter what I did, the words did not flow out like they used to. I tried everything under the sun, yet it was a mortal enemy that I could not defeat.

I was starting to doubt my ability as a writer.

Which is something that should never happen to a creative. Who am I if I didn't write something or anything? After some trial and error, I figured out what to do if I wanted to write again.

Live life, then write

What I learned in the past few months of not writing creatively or losing my will to write is: is to live a life worth living. Which can be anything you decide is worthy of your time and energy. In the past two months, I did more in my life than in the past two years. It can be as simple as traveling to the next town over, trying new foods at home, or even reading a new book. These experiences make life worth living.

And after all, that is said and done. Still, no writing.

What? At this point, I felt as if I was broken. Was there something wrong with me? Was there a cure for writer's block? Then I decided to think about the key things that hold people back when it's writer's block.

• Lack of Ideas
• Too Many Ideas
• Too Many Responsibilities
• Unprocessed Emotions
• Procrastination/Perfectionism

So in the rest of this article, enough about me. In order for you to cure writer's block, you need to find the root cause and go from there. So here's how to end writer's block based on why you can't write.

If You Have No Ideas to Write About

Most of the time, we as writers think we have no ideas to write about, but in reality, I have never met anyone who doesn't have a strong opinion about something. It can be something as simple as:

• Coke vs. Pepsi
• Team Rivalries
• Contestants on The Bachelorette
• How stupid the ending of your favorite tv show was.

It could be anything underneath the sun. You can try writing a sentence or two on any topic. If all else fails, try a writing prompt generator and write 100 words from the top as a bare minimum. There is a chance that you might write more, or it could even spin off into a more original idea.

Too Many Ideas?

Although it can be annoying, it can be beneficial to have too many ideas. Writing them down can help you clear out your head. Instead of choosing one idea, maybe consider combining two ideas into one singular idea. Instead of a reluctant princess who wants an adventure and a midwestern cowboy who is transported into the future, maybe create a cowboy who runs into a princess and has to reluctantly watch over her in a futuristic dystopian (that's oddly specific). You can always revisit those ideas when you feel writer's block coming on or when you finish with the other idea.

Too Many Responsibilities

This might be more difficult to solve when it comes to writer's block. Mainly because there is so much that someone has to consider when it comes to writing in the first place. For one, as much as we like to think we can reduce hours at work or find someone to watch children, it isn't feasible for everyone. My best advice would be to try and see if you have five minutes to spare in your schedule. After all, some writing is better than no writing. If it isn't the schedule but life burnout, taking a break is okay until life gets a little less complicated. After all, writing is not more important than your overall well-being.

Unprocessed Emotions

Unprocessed emotions are a big one. It's something that can't be fixed in a day. After all, part of the writing process is being vulnerable to one another. Whether it's joining a community that focuses on healing, getting a therapist, or even turning to the stars to make sense of it can be good for you to let go of writer's block. And when you are ready, and only if you want to, you can turn your pain into beautiful art. Let yourself heal, then write to your heart's content.

Procrastination/Perfectionism

Finally, one of the root causes of writer's block is wanting everything to be perfect. You refuse to write no matter what. You want everything to fall into place. However, it doesn't work like that. Your writing will be a bit messy for the first draft, and that's okay because no matter what, it can always be edited. This is what caused my writer's block- wanting perfection. Part of the writing process is letting go of the inevitable imperfections that will come about in your writing.

Part of getting over this latest writer's block was letting myself flow and putting words onto paper. Knowing that my first article on Vocal doesn't have to be perfect.

Solve why you don't want to write; then, the words will emerge.