Let’s say you enjoy reading, whether it’s novels, blogs, essays, the news, or any other form of passages, doesn’t matter. And hey! One day, you think, maybe you can be a writer yourself, and make a living out of what you observe, analyze, or imagine. Eventually, you might have your name embroidered on the hardcover of the tales that you wrote, just like Shakespeare. Or, you may have desires to be the bearer of recent news and deliver them to the mass.
In any case, we can call anyone who diligently devotes themselves to this profession as a writer. There are different types of writers. Fiction writer, news writer, blogger, you name it. However, there is one thing that unites them all, writer’s block. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s a problem that all writers will inevitably face in their lives. Writer’s block is whenever your brain seems to shut off the moment you need to write something.
Why does the human brain often short-circuit when we need it the most? God knows why. The thing is, it’s just something that happens. Not everyone’s writer’s block is the same. There are different reasons why it happens. Is it the writer’s age? Experience? Or dare I say, lack of creativity? Hold on, being unable to write doesn’t mean you’re no longer creative. Despite everyone’s unique and distinct experience, we can draw a line and see there are similar cases in dealing with writer’s block.
The Paranoid Perfectionist
Who isn’t familiar with the feeling of not being good enough? Each of us questions our own ability from time to time, even writers, especially writers. It’s not uncommon for us to stop writing, and then mock our own work for an hour straight. It’s easy to spot the mistakes we make when we zoom out and see our writing as a bigger picture.
On one hand, this practice is a great way of proofreading. On the other hand, if we keep scrutinizing ourselves and insisting there’s always a mistake to fix, nothing will ever get done. Being a perfectionist sometimes leads us into paranoia about our own mistakes, in our writing journey, or even in our career in general. Furthermore, the unhealthy obsession with making the perfect piece will end up delaying its completion.
So, what can we do about this kind of writer’s block? We, as writers, should understand that, yes, there are mistakes we’ve made and mistakes we will make. Proofreading is like every writer’s mandate bestowed by God. However, if we constantly edit our work, we won’t be able to present it as a finished product. This is especially true when we’re a beginner writer.
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The “Will Do Later” Procrastinator
Now, this is a hole every writer has stumbled upon. Procrastination or, simply, “tomorrow problems are for tomorrow me” is a common obstacle in almost all creative endeavors, writing included. For instance, someone who writes fiction needs creativity more than anyone. Now what happens when all that creativity just goes poof? Yep, you’re stuck in writer’s block once again.
Then you say to yourself, “It’s okay, I still got tomorrow.” Then, tomorrow comes, then the day after, then the next week. Eventually, you spend a month doing nothing. Maybe, you end up getting distracted by a video game, other hobbies, or even totally forgetting it. In the end, you still have that piece of draft dangling unfinished, quite frustrating, isn’t it?
Procrastination is a bit of a slippery slope to tackle. There is not a single cure-all solution to it. Simply because the root issue often differs from person to person. You could be suffering from the perfectionist tendency and end up as a procrastinator. Or, your issue might stem from the next type of writer’s block.
Two Brain Cells Working Overtime To Work On An Idea
The human brain is one of the most magnificent creations to exist on earth. However, much like not all airplanes can go as high as the others, our brains have limitations too, unfortunately. If we can telepathically manipulate objects or control people with our mind power to do our bidding, imagine all the work that we can finish at once. But, that’s precisely what our next problem is.
No matter how hard we work, in the end, every one of us is just a single person. Yes, writing might be your profession and all, but you might be a father of three children, or a mother, a husband, a wife. The point is, even if you identify and feel so intimate with this career path, there are other roles that you need to fulfill. And, none of us can do all with no error, we’re bound to make mistakes. Especially, when we have multiple obligations to fulfill.
Our passion might lay at the keyboard and the pen and paper we love so much as writers. However, our lives aren’t fantasies that we imagine. There is stuff outside writing that needs our attention. If your writing is more flexible and can be put aside for a moment, there’s nothing wrong with doing just that. Sometimes, focusing on one thing first is exactly what you need. And, more focus means more quality writing.