What is Writer’s Block? The Myth, the Reality, and How to Overcome It

If you’re struggling to write – if you feel wrung out of ideas, you can’t focus, or you’d rather do anything but sit down and put words on the page – you might feel that you’re suffering from writer’s block.

This idea of being “blocked” gets a lot of debate in the writing world … so what exactly is writer’s block? (And is it real?)

Writer’s block is what we usually call it when someone feels unable to write. It can show up in different ways for different writers, but it’s more than just needing to push past a bit of resistance to get started.

It can show up after you’ve finished one project: you simply can’t think of anything else you actually want to write about. It can also happen during a project: you feel stuck.

Let’s tackle one very common myth about writer’s block … before taking a look at the reality, plus some solutions.

One Big Myth About Writer’s Block: “Writer’s Block is Just Laziness”

Some writers are quite scathing about the idea of writer’s block, thinking it’s just a type of laziness or procrastination, where you’d rather be staring at a blank page than writing. They’ll tell you that “plumbers don’t get plumber’s block”, after all.

I think this is a distinctly unhelpful analogy! Plumbers aren’t generally doing it for fun, but for money—and while plumbing requires a whole lot of skill, it’s not really a creative endeavour like writing.

Other writers accept that sometimes you might not feel like writing, but they think you should just push on forward, regardless. Here’s how Sarah Kennedy puts it:

Recently, I’ve come to think that writer’s block is more appropriately called lazy writer syndrome.  If you call yourself a writer, you had better write.  Otherwise, you’re a wanna-be writer, a has-been writer, a pretend writer, or no writer at all.  

(Personally, I think you’re absolutely still a writer when you’re not currently writing. None of us are writing all the time!)

And here’s what Belinda Weaver says:

The truth is that writer’s block is just an excuse to get out of work.

There, I’ve said it. Saying you can’t write because you’ve got writer’s block is the equivalent of saying, “But miss, I’m sick miss * cough cough *”.

This approach might work for Sarah and Belinda. And if you’re being paid to write, you probably do need to push on forward and get the work done at times when you’re not feeling at all inspired.

But I don’t think that all instances of writer’s block are just laziness. Plenty of writers, especially those who have to fit their creative writing around the rest of their life, really do have times when they struggle.

The Reality of Writer’s Block 

Writers do get writer’s block. We wouldn’t have a name for it, otherwise! And you can find writers all over the internet talking about being blocked and struggling to write, often for long periods of time.

These aren’t just beginner writers, either. Author K.M. Weiland has been very open about her own experience of writer’s block:

For four years, starting in the fall of 2018, I lived with significant writer’s block. It was my first such experience, and I felt bewildered by it, frightened, and often ashamed. After all, I was an established, published writer, who made her living not just writing novels, but teaching others how to do so. How could I possibly have writer’s block?

In K.M.’s case, the writer’s block didn’t affect all her writing. She kept up with her excellent blog for writers, Helping Writers Become Authors. But she ground to a halt with her fiction writing, eventually taking a deliberate sabbatical from her fiction.

You might experience something similar. Perhaps you’re managing your professional writing or academic writing, but you haven’t written a word of fiction in months. Or maybe you’re not writing for your own blog at all – but you’re hitting all your freelancing deadlines.

So what’s behind writer’s block? Does it just happen out of the blue, or is there a cause?

Common Causes of Writer’s Block

Any writing block will have some cause or trigger, even if it’s a subtle one. You may well find that several of these are at play:

A Problem with a Specific Writing Project

You might feel blocked or stuck on a particular project. This is especially common with long-term projects (like a novel or blog). 

This type of writer’s block can be a useful signal that something isn’t quite right. You might need to take a step back to earlier in the writing process – returning from writing your first draft to planning, for instance.

Feeling Overwhelmed

If you’re feeling overwhelmed – by life in general, or by the pressures of writing – that can lead to writer’s block. You might feel like writing is just yet another chore on your list, or you might be unable to focus because there’s so much on your mind. Another sort of overwhelm is perfectionism, where your inner critic is constantly telling you your writing isn’t good enough.

This may not be an easy type of block to solve, though we’ll look at some ideas shortly that may help.

Health Difficulties (Physical or Mental)

You might be suffering from a health problem (or several different problems) that are affecting your writing.

This could be a physical issue, especially if you’re in pain or struggling to sleep well – which can be hugely draining. Alternatively, you might be feeling creatively blocked because of a mental health difficulty, like depression, anxiety, or extreme self-doubt.

Writing at a Low-Energy Time

If you like the idea of writing but you feel drained and uncreative whenever you sit down to write, the problem could simply be that you’re trying to write at the wrong time of day.

Maybe your writing time is once your kids are in bed – but you’re exhausted by then, and distracted by all the things that still need doing around the house. Your writing routine just isn’t working with your energy levels.

What Can You Do to Overcome Writer’s Block?

I don’t think there’s any one easy solution to writer’s block. If there was, you’d have found it by now! 

However, there are some helpful things you can try. Even if none of these work instantly, they might make a difference over time, helping you gradually get past the block.

#1: Tackle the Cause (Where Possible)

Try to pinpoint what’s causing your writer’s block. If you could wave a magic wand and fix the problem, what would that look like? 

If you’re struggling to figure out the cause, you might think back to a time when you weren’t blocked. What’s changed?

In a lot of cases, you might not be able to fully solve the problem. Perhaps you feel blocked because everything is so overwhelming for you right now. Probably, if you could instantly make things less overwhelming, you would … but that’s not how life works!

Hopefully, though, you can find something you can do to move a little closer to a solution. Perhaps doing a brain dump list of everything on your mind would help a little. Or maybe there’s a particular task you could hand over to someone else.

If the cause of your writer’s block is the project yourself, you might want to think about:

• Is there an angle of the plot (for fiction) that you’re missing?
• Would you prefer to hit “pause” on this project for a while and move on to something new?
• What excited you most about this project when you began? How could you tap into that again?

#2: Write for 5 Minutes to See if That Helps

In some cases, what feels like a block is just the (very normal) inertia we all feel when we think about getting started on writing. 

If you can, try writing for a few minutes to see if that helps. If the writing doesn’t feel any easier after five minutes, feel free to stop! But you may find that just getting started helps resistance to vanish.

Can’t face “real” writing? Some writers find it helps them past a blockage to do some freewriting: just jotting down everything that’s on their mind. You could also try brainstorming, spending 5 minutes noting anything that comes to you about your project.

#3: Take a Guilt-Free Break from Writing

Tried writing and it didn’t help? Then you probably need a proper, guilt-free break from your writing. (Not the kind of break where you scroll social media in the middle of a writing session and then feel guilty about it!)

That might mean just getting away from your computer for an hour: some writers find it helps to take a walk, do household chores, or have a bath.

But if your writer’s block feels like it runs rather deeper than that, you might want a longer break. Try deliberately setting aside your writing project for a few days or weeks, so you can come back to it fresh.

#4: Switch to a Different Writing Project

If you’re feeling blocked on a particular project, it can help to switch to something else. 

Maybe your novel just isn’t coming together, so you’re going to tackle a short story for a while. Or perhaps you aren’t feeling creative, but you could put together a blog post.

The danger here is that some writers end up starting a whole bunch of things … but not finishing any of them. At some point, you’ll need to decide on whether you’re going to see a project through (and look for ways to make it easier).

#5: Get Support from Other Writers

When you’re struggling to write, it can be hard to reach out to other people. Non-writers might not “get” it … but you may not want to admit to writing friends that you’re struggling.

The thing is, we all have times when we’re blocked, or at least finding writing a hard slog. There are so many people out there who’d love to encourage you in your creative process.

In Writer’s Cafe, I always try to encourage people to “check in” with the group each week even if – especially if! – they’re having a hard time writing. We’re there to offer support as well as accountability.

Getting one-to-one support can also be a great way to beat writer’s block. I find that people who come to me for writing coaching are often feeling stuck in some way. When they talk through their writing goals and share their writing with me, we can work together to get them moving again.

There’s no magic fix for writer’s block, but the ideas above should help you on your path to writing more freely and happily again.