Overcoming Writer's Block

Introduction

When reading the tips below, think to yourself, "How can I adapt these to my current situation?" Or, "What is the best tip for me right now?"

Why Writer's Block Happens

Here's a grossly oversimplified version of where writer's block comes from:

The left and right sides of the brain also function differently, with (broadly speaking) the left hemisphere working in a linear fashion that compresses and organizes the world, and the right hemisphere working in an associative fashion that expands and explores the world.

As writers, our creative processes happen primarily in the right hemisphere of the neo-mammalian brain. Writer's block happens because many of our emotional responses—especially our reactions to stress and anxiety—lock us out of that part of the brain.

The solutions to writer's block are all based-on getting back into the part of the brain that's actually capable of writing creatively.

How to Outsmart Writer's Block

Discover seven different strategies below to help put words on your blank page. You might find that utilizing a combination of these tips may also be useful to helping you write.

Eat the Best Brain Foods

The core dilemma: We're adrenaline junkies. Our minds are accustomed to using stimulants to break through emotional blockages. This can lead to behaviors with self-destructive consequences.

• Do you smoke, drink caffeine, or overeat when stressed about a writing project? Those behaviors are responses to an intuitive system that indicates more focus will be required for the task at hand. The chemical outcome of stimulants and binge eating is that your brain gets a shot of dopamine and/or adrenaline. These are the focus drugs that allow us to "push through" the anxiety that underlies writer's block. Your increased level of adrenaline is a natural stimulant.

• This is also why being right up against a deadline gives a kick. Do you find yourself saying, "Procrastination gives me the adrenaline to work."

The solution: Eat the right types of food to get a similar chemical response without the self-destructive outcomes.

• You can give yourself a healthy dopamine boost by eating foods high in protein and amino fatty acids. This lets you sidestep both the health risks and the negative emotional spiral that can be triggered by stimulants or binge-eating. Supplements specifically designed to give you protein and amino fatty acids are great. Fish, lean poultry, eggs, and beans are also good options.

Note the Next Concrete Part You Could Write

The core dilemma: The scope of a project can create panic. For instance, you do not write an essay. You write a word, which becomes a sentence, a paragraph, a page, and another page. When all the pages are written, we call that an essay—but you have only ever written words.

• Ironically, it's often our creative imagination that prevents us from writing. We imagine the essay as a whole rather than as a sum of its parts. Our brain, being a problem-solving machine, naturally tries to figure out how to write an essay as a whole. The result is often panic, which prevents us from writing anything at all.

The solution: Narrow the definitions of your task to include only the next concrete step. Instead of writing your goal as the final outcome (e.g., "I want to finish writing this essay by Friday."), write the next concrete step that is visible from your current vantage point (e.g., "I will write my outline by Monday."). This allows you to move into the work without facing the emotional weight of the project as a whole.

• Writer's block can sometimes make it feel impossible to even note the next step. If so, maybe your next step is simply "Open the document," "Do a brainstorming activity," or "Do a Google search for 'stroke statistics.'" That's perfectly fine. It all counts.

Write Anything

The core dilemma: Fear of failure and fear of success often lead to either perfectionism or writer's block. When fears associated with the project lead to perfectionism, the writing functions inefficiently because we're working in the left hemisphere of the brain. Just as often, our fears shut down the writing process completely.

• • • Writing is an intimate task that leaves us vulnerable to rejection. It's hard not to identify with our work to at least some degree, and avoiding completion is an effective way to avoid the subsequent opportunities for rejection.

• • • Further, we live in a world where success is temporary. Every accomplishment means higher expectations and greater responsibility. As psychologist Shawn Achor states in his hilariously insightful TED talk (featured to the right), we are shifting the definition of success so happiness is always just over the cognitive horizon. It makes good sense to embrace inaction when trapped between the pressures of success and the pain of rejection.

The solution: Write with the intention of failing. Everything you write now can be discarded and much if it will be. The writing process is just that: A process. Write anything at all, even if it's irrelevant to the story or project. If you looked at every word I wrote while drafting this lesson, you would find several references to ducks, at least two or three "knock knock" jokes, and usually at least one threat to that guy in that garage door commercial who just bugs me for some reason (I have yet to figure out why). These things did not get into this lesson, but they allowed my brain to move in a non-linear direction that opened-up creative opportunities.

Talk it Out

The core dilemma: Language is restricted to a relatively small part of the brain, and it can be challenging to communicate when you are the only participant in that communication. While working from our neo-mammalian, we're wizards of communication. When working from our mammalian brain, our linguistic and intellectual abilities are stunted. When working with our reptilian brain, our communicative skills all but vanish.

The solution: Talk to a friend about the creative dilemmas, talking out "what if" options.

• Discussing the project will force your brain to shift back into the mode of the neo-mammalian brain. This allows you to face the anxiety with a stronger array of cognitive tools.

Shift Into a Creative Activity

The core dilemma: When locked in linear-analytical thinking, your mind is less capable of creative thought. Many writers step away from their project as a coping mechanism. Shifting gears can be a really great way to get unstuck, but we often switch to a left-brained activity. When we get involved in left-brain work as a detour from writing, we exhaust emotional resources while remaining in a mindset that's less functional for our creative tasks.

The solution: Shift into an unstressed creative activity. Ideally, this will be an activity that isn't embedded with fear and anxiety. Anything that gets you thinking with your creative mind will work (crafts, cooking, playing an instrument or singing, creating art, etc.). The key is to shift gears into something that opens up your creative resources.

• It's not uncommon to have a eureka moment when making a creative shift of this nature. By stepping away from the anxiety but into the creative mind, you're outmaneuvering the creative block.

Key Takeaways

• Writer's block is completely normal and can be overcome.

• Writer's block is due to a block in creativity.

• To overcome writer's block, utilize strategies to unlock your creativity in a healthy and productive way.