If you've been a writer for a while, I'll assume you've been around the block. The curse of creatives everywhere. It makes pencils hesitate and cursers blink.
Let's batten down the hatches, sharpen our pen nibs, and fight back against the blank-page monster, together!
Writer's block is notoriously tricky, but part of that comes down to the block being a symptom, not a cause. Usually, we need to test a few different possibilities to identify our specific block before it gets worse and turns into its more deadly form, procrastination.
In this post, I'll share five types of writer's block and ways around them. Let's start with the most common.
Writing when it doesn’t feel right.
You're dutifully tugging your story along, filling the page, but your fingers falter. You grumble away, muttering things like, "What happens next?" or even "What would my MC do?" but your protagonist doesn't answer.
Usually, that's because they already did earlier on in your story. But you didn't listen.
A school of thought in the writing world says you shouldn't look back at your old chapters. That can be true if you're habitually re-creating your previous work instead of moving on, but the problem might be behind you when you can't move ahead.
If you can't imagine what your character would do, chances are they already did something they wouldn't have done, getting them locked in a situation they can't work out of. And if the issue is with the plot, you might be stuck because you didn't see that you wrote yourself smack-dab into a hole, a plot hole, that is. You see, your brain is far more brilliant than you give it credit for. Sometimes it can't go on because it's trying to tell you the story is bunk.
So, take a deep breath, back up a chapter or more, and see if you can find your problem.
Oh, you're back already? Let's try this one next…
Writing when you're really an imposter.
Imposter syndrome is a complex cup to chug. Especially when so many agents ask questions like, "Why are you the best person to write this book?"
If you're navel-gazing more than a broody YA love interest, you know getting your head back to the page is no small task.
Many people have written about this topic, and I've read what many of them said, but no one helped me more than a critique partner of mine that flat out told me—of course, you're an imposter! You're a writer!
It sounded simple, but it was just the smack-up-the-side-of-the-head I needed. We always make up stuff, sitting alone like a hobbit in our cave. It makes sense that connecting these made-up worlds with people would feel like a fake check we expect to bounce. When my brilliant critique partner called me on it, I stopped trying to run from that identity and let it win. Yes, I am an imposter, and I'm going to be as good as it as I can be. Catch me if you can.
Oh, you're not struggling with that? It was only me, huh? Oh, no, that's fine. This isn't awkward… let's move on.
Writing without meeting your mind’s needs.
Discovery writers write by the seat of their pants, not knowing what comes next. Outliners carefully cultivate a story, planning the book before they begin writing, making the two opposites. We all know that, right?
Shhh! Lean in close for a secret—Ready? Discovery writers and outliners are just people who get stuck on different parts of writing.
Never mind, let me shout this: Everyone has story stuff to discover! Otherwise, their story would already exist. So, we're all discovery writers. But hold up, outlines too! People who "pants" their novels do the outlining in the moment, with their first draft, and outliners do it in a document they conveniently call an outline.
We're all the same in this matrix!
So, maybe you're getting stuck in the process because you're telling your brain to do a stage of writing it's not ready for OR already finished!
Easy—I'm kidding, it's going to take work—fix, is backing all the way up with your story and looking at it hard. Is this a story that flows out of you when you let it? Or is it a story that needs to be cultivated before it's out?
Bye! Take your time on that one, okay? I need to get back to work on my book. It's kicking my butt right now, and… are you still here? What do you mean you want the next one? Ugh! You're worse than the Avon lady ignoring my no soliciting sign.
Writing when your well is dry.
Sometimes, (Especially when people won't leave you alone because they expect you to finish a blog post when you really SHOULD be writing, but they're all whining, saying, 'No, Winter, you said there were five types, but you only did three!')
Ahem! Sometimes, you feel like your brain is all dry. Brains are squishy wet things full of fat, electrons, veins, and other…brain stuff. Not a doctor here, but in my expert opinion, brains don't like being dry.
Kind of like when a well is dry. (Ah! See how I tied that in! Be impressed!)
So, congratulations, you have contracted the most fun type of block. You have well-block! Only the best for you, Darling! And the cure, get this, is to feed your head!
Movies, audio dramas, audiobooks, physical Books, comic books, manga, and video games with good storytelling—or bad! You need to see other people tell stories. Inject them into your crumbling gray matter.
Okay, so there is a bit of homework, though. You can't just let stories happen. You need to ask yourself questions as they go.
Things like:
Why did the writer include this character?
If I wrote this part, what elements would I focus on?
What made them decide to start the story here?
It can be helpful to get a pad of paper and keep track of your answers as you go.
Dog trainers encourage owners to play with their dog before training so their dog's brain is calmed down and ready to learn. Your brain is under-fun-ded too. It can't handle writing all the time. Let it have some fun!
Yes, this is dangerous. You could end up becoming an entertainment glutton. We tested a few other possibilities first because it's easy to ignore the hard stuff and jump to dessert. Still, overeating isn't a reason to stave yourself, and over-entertainment is the same. Usually, when I'm well-blocked, it only takes a few stories to dose me up. And when I finish writing something, I go wild, devouring every story I can cram in before I'm left to hibernate through another first draft.
So—keep your wells full…unless you need a plot device for Timmy to fall in.
Here, in your head, it's no help.
Writing when your mind is the enemy.
I don't want to talk about this one. I want to go back to the last one because it's fun and easy. Getting to tell writers to enjoy books? Simple! But this one isn't something I can joke about. Especially when one of the telltale signs of this block is that you can't read or appreciate a movie. Even simple tasks like that are too much.
What's this block? Sometimes it's mental health, like depression. Sometimes it's an inability, like a chronic sickness, that land you in a brain fog.
This is the hard stuff that no one wants because it's ugly.
What's the cure? I don't know. No, I'm not going to leave it there, I've been here, and I can't ignore a writer struggling in this place. But, here's the thing: you shouldn't fix this block instantly.
You know how those little masks fall in an airplane, and attendants tell parents to put theirs on before their kids? This is like that.
If you try to take care of your book baby while struggling to breathe, it'll be worse for both of you. But if you take care of yourself and then come back to writing, even though it takes far too long and you hate the way life is going—when you do come back—you have something to write about.
I try (oh dear Lord, how I try) to think of these times as growth. This is its own well, a well of sadness that often overflows but is necessary for me to write about hard, important truths. I wish this well was more of a trickling tap instead of the waterfall flood it usually fits, but since it's there, know you can use it once you're back to yourself.
Just please, take the time you need. Then, when you're ready, we can keep fighting the block and fill the world with stories, together.
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