Writer’s block may be the two most dreaded words in a writer’s vocabulary. We all know stories about authors who wound up stymied for months. I have my own theory about what triggers writer’s block. Make that two theories. And they don’t have much to do with putting words on a page.
1) The writer doesn’t know what he or she really wants to say. “I can teach anyone to write,” my father, the former Latin American/European/West Coast editor for LOOK magazine and author of more than 20 books used to say. “But I can’t teach people to think.” I don’t care how great a writer you are…if you don’t know what you’re trying to say, you’re going to hit one heck of a road block. Make that writer’s block.
2) The writer has let his or her inner critic gain the upper hand. We writers all harbor inner critics on steroids. I have yet to meet a single writer who deep down inside isn’t insecure about his or her work. “It’s time to bind and gag your inner critic and throw him into a closet,” I tell my writing coach clients. “There will be plenty of time to dust him off and let him do his job once you hit the rewriting phase. But for now, you need to let your ideas and your words flow. And there’s no way that will happen if you’re judging yourself so harshly.
Yes, there will undoubtedly come a time when you feel tapped out. That’s your cue. No, not to panic. That’s your signal to take a break and let your subconscious take over while your conscious mind regroups. The next thing you know, most likely in the least convenient spot, you’ll have that aha! moment that will trigger the next spurt of creativity. Just make sure you have a notebook handy so you can scribble down a reminder.
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