Writer's Block is Just a Myth

Relax! Writer's block is just a myth anyway, so you should feel better soon. Seriously. The day I told myself that writer's block didn't exist is the day that I never became plagued by it again.

I figured out back in 2004 or so that if I told myself that writer's block would never be a problem for me, then I would never have a problem finding things to write about. In blotting this particular affliction out and refusing to give in, I suddenly became a prolific writer.

In case you are having trouble, I thought I'd start this hub to help you out. First, tell yourself it doesn't exist. This is an essential and vital first step to finally being the kind of writer you want to be.

But I am convinced that it can be beaten. For me, it was a simple matter of refusing to believe that it had any relevance in my life. I refuse to give in! But in thinking about it, there is more to it than that.

• Busy writer. I am so busy that I don't really have time to think about whether or not I can think of anything to say. If I stopped to think, I wouldn't get any writing done.
• Busy life. I often only have two hours or so in a day to get my writing done. So I better not admit that I can't think of anything. If I feel a little stuck I set my timer for ten minutes and force myself to write anything.
• Release perfection. One breakthrough I had is that I simply don't care if my writing is perfect. I won my most lucrative bid of all time with a proposal letter that had a really annoying typo in it. Guy probably only read the first few sentences! If I stressed and proofread I may not have sent it in time and I may have lost the bid.

Do you see where I am going with this? I just wanted to offer this up as an introduction. In the next section I will give you some tangible action steps.

Repeat after me, "Writer's Block Doesn't Exist." Keep repeating it until you believe it. Sure, I get stuck sometimes, but since writer's block is nonexistent to me, I just assume it will work out. I move on to something else and then pick the thing I was stuck on back up later.

If I were deathly afraid of writer's block then at the moment I became stuck, I'd panic. In panicking, I would be too stressed out to write. My heart would beat fast. I'd need to exercise it off before I ate a whole bag of chips.

Then where has the day gone? Out the window actually. Now I can't write anymore. When I pick my work back up the next day, I'd be so afraid I'd still be stuck that I'd have to go back to the gym.

Determining that being stumped on something is a non-issue and that things will work out puts you in a nice, peaceful frame of mind. When your mind is at peace, you can actually get some writing done!

It happens. Some days you have the golden touch. Every word you write is pure cold. Other days, you misspell basic words. You call your mom to ask if "bathe" really does have an e at the end because it doesn't look right.

This is a particular problem for me because I live in Germany at the moment and I speak German when I am out and about. So when I come back and try to write in English, things get messed up. German words are crazy and German grammar has some big differences from English grammar. Sometimes my wires get crossed.

So, I know what it feels like to be stuck and frustrated. But since writer's block doesn't exist, I force myself to get over it. I get up and clean something (it's never ending anyway!) think English Language thoughts and sit back down and get cracking.

Here are some other things I do to get unstuck:

• Set the timer. I tell myself that I will sit and write for fifteen minutes even if what I write doesn't make sense. If I am really struggling, I open up a new document and do a stream of consciousness exercise where I give myself permission to type the same word over and over again, or basically do whatever I went. This gets rid of my filter and gets me in touch with my writer self. Ten minutes does the trick too if I am feeling impatient.
• Write an email. If I am really whining about writing (or I simply can't do anything right) I write an email that is at least four sentences long. And I need to punctuate and use proper grammar if this is going to work. This is sort of like a writing exercise, but it's also productive. I do this if I am having problems structuring my thoughts.
• Give up. It's okay to give up. I dance around the house. Clean. Go for a walk. Go to the gym. Take a nap. As long as I get something done at some point, I am not concerned about it. On sunny days where it's too hot to think (we don't have AC) I would rather get in the car and drive to the Mosel with my husband rather than work! In fact, when I am finished writing this hub, that is exactly where I am going. :)

You see, "getting stuck" and "having writer's block" don't need to be the same thing. Besides, since writer's block doesn't exist, this isn't an issue anyway! (Have you figured out that I say that a lot, mainly because if I say it enough that may make it true?!)