Why Do You Have Writer’s Block?
Imagine this: You’re excited to write your book, whether it’s a novel or autobiography. You’ve found a publisher that can provide your needs, including marketing.
Then, nothing. Your brain doesn’t seem to work, and your creative juices have run dry. What happened? You are having writer’s block.
Writer’s block can occur for a variety of reasons, but these are likely the most common causes:
- Analysis Paralysis
Analysis paralysis is a term used to describe situations in which a person wastes a lot of time overanalyzing a problem without taking any action. In this case, you’re not moving forward with your writing because you can’t figure out what should come next or where the plot should go from there.
You like the idea you’ve had, but you haven’t figured out how to expand upon it yet. You may also be worried about what readers will think of your work, thus overanalyzing every little thing.
How do you deal with analysis paralysis? Here are a few ideas:
- Set a time limit. Set the goal amount of words or pages that you’d like to write each day, which will motivate you to continue with your creative process instead of drawing it out.
- Create a reward system. If the time limit doesn’t work for you, then maybe it’s time to give yourself some positive reinforcement when you’ve reached a certain level of writing. You can reward yourself with a slice of chocolate cake, a good movie, or something else that you enjoy doing that isn’t writing.
- Just do it. Write now and deal with the other aspects of publishing, like editing, later.
- Fear of Success
You may be worried about what will happen if you actually succeed with your writing. You’ve had this nagging fear in the back of your mind throughout most of your life, and now that you’re finally working on something that could be successful, it weighs down on you more than ever before.
This fear manifests itself by telling you that you’re not as good as the other writers and that your work is garbage. Some people are also suffering from impostor syndrome.
How do you deal with this fear of success? Consider the worst-case scenario. If your book fails, what would be so bad about it? Would anyone really care outside of your family and friends? Would it make a difference in your life?
The answer to both of these questions is likely no, so you shouldn’t let this stop you from writing.
Do what you love. You can take time for yourself each day to write without worrying about your book’s result or the potential success (or failure). Just enjoy yourself and the process. If your writing is for your pleasure, then the final product doesn’t matter.
On the other hand, remember that your fear of success can be seen as a positive thing. It means you care about what you’re doing, so take it as motivation to continue with your process.
- Burnout
Your writer’s block may also stem from burnout. You’ve been working hard on your book long enough that you’re beginning to get worn out. You may need more of a break than usual, or perhaps you might even want to give up writing altogether (at least for the time being).
Why do writers develop burnout? There are a few reasons.
If you’ve been working on the same project for too long (which can be anywhere from six months to two years or more), then it’s likely that you’ve developed some sort of burnout. Maybe you don’t enjoy thinking about your story anymore, and thus, you’re no longer as motivated as before.
Another reason is simply that you’re tired. It’s not easy to put in five to ten hours of work into your writing each day, and if you’ve been doing that for a while, then it’s normal that you’d become exhausted.
You may also be experiencing some sort of personal crisis. This can range from losing someone close to you to getting fired from your job or anything else. If this is the case, then you should take some time off. Don’t force yourself to write if your mind isn’t there.
Dealing with writer’s block is normal. It happens to the best of us, so don’t get down on yourself if you feel like your words are no longer coming together. However, when faced with a deadline, it helps when you know the cause and how to deal with it.
