I’ve been staring at the page for hours! How do I move through writer’s block?
Every writer, at some point or another, has experienced the dreadful, all-consuming feeling of “writer’s block.”
Even after organizing their desk space, firing up the laptop, having snacks and beverages at the ready, and securing uninterrupted writing time, writer’s block can find its way to any writer at any age or experience level. No one is immune to writer’s block.
So, what do great writers do, the writers who consistently meet their deadlines and have secured several publications under their belt, when they are up against writer’s block?
It might sound counterintuitive, but when great writers find themselves glaring at their glowing screens, scratching their brains, searching for the inspiration to flow for a prolonged period of time, they simply take a break. That doesn’t mean they abandon their deadline or doom scroll until inspiration strikes. Rather, writers on a deadline organize and structure their breaks to be simultaneously stimulating and restful.
So what might that look like, and what are some strategies that you can personalize and implement when you run into writer’s block?
Move your body.
Sometimes all it takes to get ideas flowing is to get up and move. You might consider taking a walk, throwing the ball for your beloved pet, practicing a gentle yoga flow, or another activity of your choice that nurtures your body. One of my favorite ways to move my body when I am struck with the writer’s block burden is to take an “appreciation walk” where I charter out on a neighborhood excursion, typing a list in my notes app of the beauty that surrounds me. Afterward, when I return to the page, I feel an ease to the writing task that, before my walk, felt insurmountable. Interestingly, a Stanford study found that a person’s “creative output” increased by an average of 60% while walking, so even folks at Ivy League schools would agree with my approach. If you’d like to read more about the study, feel free to access the info here.
Change your environment.
If writers are struggling to get the words on the page, I encourage them to either change the space they’re in or to go somewhere else entirely. A sense of novelty can increase dopamine production in the brain, so entering a new space or recreating a space to feel new can cultivate motivation and positive feelings about the task at hand. Whether moving your desk so you have a novel view, or setting your writing space up at a coffee shop you have been wanting to try out for months, getting yourself into a new space can help you generate fresh ideas. To read more about the neuroscience connection to novelty, see the article linked here.
Do a different creative task.
When we are faced with a high-stakes writing task, we can often feel stress, pressure, and overwhelm, making it difficult to write well and with ease. With that, I encourage writers to step away from the page and engage in another activity that feeds their creativity and helps them think about the process of creation through a different medium. Some examples might include dusting off that old watercolor set and allowing the brushes to guide you in the creation of a scenic landscape, scrolling through all of the recipes you’ve found on Instagram and selecting one to make, tending to your garden by planting and nurturing new seeds (weather permitting), or piecing together a collage of images that bring you a sense of joy. Whatever the creative pursuit you select, I suggest making it as low-stakes as possible to reduce the cortisol that might have spiked when you couldn’t bring yourself to type a single word. Taking pressure off yourself while engaging in an artsy hobby reminds your subconscious that creating can be easy and free-flowing. Once you narrow in on a hobby of your choice, you might quickly find that ideas for what to write manifest naturally. It’s a tried-and-true method that has helped me return to writing some of the most arduous pieces, such as my dissertation.
Check in with a trusted, fellow creative.
Sometimes all we need is a pearl of wisdom or a bit of encouragement from a friend who gets the struggle. Writing is often a solo activity, so it is particularly easy for us to feel isolated or separate from our comrades and cheerleaders. I encourage writers to have a network of at least one other person whom they can send a quick text to or hop on a short call with when they are struck with writer’s block. As an educator, I have found that supporting my students in creating writing communities with their peers is a particularly uplifting experience for them when they are working to meet a writing deadline. Through these writing communities, my students share their writing with one another, offer gentle feedback, and provide one another with affirmations. I am also grateful to have built a writing group with a dear friend and fellow writer (Hello Colleen!), which has sustained me through multiple creative projects. All that’s to say is, a positive sentiment from someone in our circle can sometimes be the extra push that brings a writing piece to the finish line.
Visualize success.
Neuroscience research has confirmed that our brains can use imagination techniques to positively influence our realities (See: Your Brain on Imagination: Study Reveals How Minds Eye Helps Us Learn and Change for more information). With that, I encourage writers who are feeling blocked to create a space, somewhere in their home, even if it’s a tiny nook in their bedroom, to be a place they can retreat to for meditation and visualization. A short, 5 to 10 minute time block where you close your eyes and focus on maximizing feelings of gratitude, peace, joy, or any other emotion that captures how you feel when you’ve finally hit submit, and your writing is complete, can be a total morale boost for the brain. When visualizing, it is helpful to picture yourself typing or handwriting a draft while focusing on cultivating feelings of contentment, inspiration, and other positive emotions, or to envision yourself having a conversation with a loved one about how proud you are to have finally completed the draft. I’ll also admit that I have felt empowered when visualizing myself receiving positive feedback about my writing or being recognized for a job well done, but I minimize visualizations that center on someone else’s reaction to my work to ensure I more consistently draw on internal motivation.
All in all, my advice to writers, no matter who they are or what they are writing, is to give themselves space to step away from their writing projects when they are up against a block that just won’t surrender. Rather than forcing ourselves into submission, which carries a very different energy than softly nudging our way into a writing piece, we owe it to ourselves and our work to take intentional breaks when we need them.