The Scourge of the Pages

Writer’s Block.

The thorn in our sides, the bane of the literary world and every writer’s worst nightmare... besides Plagiaristic Programs (a.k.a. A.I. writing programs) and plagiarism in general.

It’s a hot topic on social media and in writer's support groups. There are a million memes made about the dreaded plague and just as many articles and pieces of advice on how to cure it.

Recently, I was stuck on a line of a poem I just could not make work and resorted to procrasta-scrolling, as one does, when I came across one of the many posts about the dreaded B-word.

In it, one of the members of the group shared what a self-professed writing guru had been telling followers about Writer’s Block (henceforth referred to as W.B.).

In the guru’s opinion, W.B. does not exist; it is just an excuse writers use to be lazy, procrastinate or to cover up feelings of inadequacy.

I have a background in Healthcare. And a big part of my qualifications is supporting people experiencing changes and challenges in mental health, I have accreditation as a Mental Health First-Aider, an absolute fascination with how our brains work and why we do the things we do.

Just so I’m being clear, I am not a psychologist, psychiatrist or a counsellor.

That being said, recognising altered mental states and mental health changes are part of my qualifications and an aspect of my job.

If you, as an individual, benefit from someone telling you something doesn’t exist: fear, hunger, pain, depression, limitations, what ever it is that is restraint rather than a motivator and it works for you, that is fantastic. But that harden up attitude does not work long term, if at all, for the majority of people.

Saying that W.B. doesn’t exist is narrow sighted. For many of us, it is impractical. Because telling those of us who have experienced W.B. that it does not exist, won’t stop it happening again.

And why not?

Because denying something exists doesn’t make it less real.

Which begs the question: what do we do about it?

There is no silver bullet for this bane. That is why the advice on how to beat it is so wide and varied. But what if we could find a better solution? What if we didn’t have to guess at what would work for us?

I don’t have all the answers, but I believe the answer lies in how we look at W.B.

There are many conditions treated in the field of medicine known as syndromes. A syndrome is a condition that has the same result, but different causes in different people. For someone with medical knowledge or someone who has a diagnosis of a syndrome (which can be a physical or mental diagnosis), the word and its implications are already understood. But I will attempt to explain for anyone not overly familiar.

Take feeling happy as an example. It isn’t considered a syndrome, but I’m using it because we all know what it feels like to be happy. Happy is a Mental experience, meaning, it originates in the brain. And while it has an impact on physical parts of our body, it is chemicals in our brain, our minds, that give us the experience.

It does not take a genius to figure out that what triggers that response in our brains is different for everyone. For example, one of the people I work with is happiest when listening to electronica and attending rave parties. I would hate that. I’m in 7th Heaven combing through second hand books with a friend, helping her find stock for the online vintage bookshop she wants to start. The smells, the sights, the thrill of finding something different or unique. There is nothing like it for me. My co-worker, on the other hand, would find the activity boring.

While we both talk passionately about how our different activities make us feel, we arrive at the feeling from a different direction.

What if we viewed W.B. in the same light?

It is a state of mind, just like being happy. There is nothing in our physical bodies stopping us. That doesn’t make it less real.

Which means the W.B. state of mind, if viewed as a syndrome, would be just as individual with individual causes.

If you had a medically diagnosable syndrome, a Doctor would run tests and take down a lot of information. Such as

- When did symptoms start?

- What are your symptoms?

- How often do symptoms occur?

- How long do they last?

- What precipitates the start of symptoms?

- How were symptoms treated last time?

- What treatments worked/didn’t work?

We can’t run blood tests or brain scans (at least, not yet) to diagnose the issue, but we can take a ‘Health History. Doctors don’t usually just prescribe medications and push you out the door. Or maybe some do, but good ones don’t.

This is the approach I take to W.B. when I experience it. And I’ve looked closely at what happens when I do, to help me understand how to tackle it.

For example, I am a world-class procrastinator. This frustrates some people. But it’s how I deal with many things. If I get stuck on some writing, I stop and take a break from it. I do this because I want to give everything I do the best I can at that point. That does lead to having approximately six long term Works In Progress (W.I.P.) happening and several minor ones, too.

How long a break I take from the W.I.P. depends on any deadlines attached to it. For short deadlines of days to weeks, Ill step away to make a cup of tea. When I come back, I can usually focus better. Did you know: our brains remain focused better on a task when we take a break regularly. How long we can concentrate varies from fifteen minutes to two hours depending on the research paper read. I may have to do that several times in a session, but I’ll get my work done. A longer deadline or lack of deadline may result in taking an extended break, as long as a week or months.

I am fully aware that the longer breaks are me procrastinating. And why do I do it? Because typically if I’m going to write something, I want to do it well. I take a break initially because I’m afraid I won’t do a good job, or it won’t turn out the way I have it planned out in my head.

There is a helpful piece of advice given to artists: don’t try to make the picture, painting or piece of art match the image in your mind’s eye, because it will never look just like that and the work will be harder as a result. Instead, give creativity the freedom to take it’s own shape.

Often, knowing why you do something in particular, in the case of W.B. why you feel like you just can’t get the words onto the page, can help you find a way to work around it.

Some people take a break, some people let go of expectations, others plough on with the thought that they can come back and fix it in editing. Some deny there was ever an issue in the first place.

However you choose to deal with W.B., finding a solution may involve taking the time to think about what it is that causes the state of mind for you.

That is not always an easy thing to do, to admit to what some consider a weakness or flaw, but may be worth the discomfort of self-examination.

What ever the cause and solution for you as an individual, I think we can agree on one thing.

Writer’s Block is a real challenge for many authors. But maybe, just maybe, by thinking of it the same way we think of any challenging mental state, we may just have the key to combating one of the most common issues for writers.