Writer's Block

Writer's block is an oft-maligned syndrome that seems unique to writing. It's basically defined as when the words won't come - the muse is just out to lunch or something. The reasons for this are contested - some call it a lack of inspiration, some call it laziness - but the consensus seems to be that writer's block is when a writer simply cannot write.

There are two major camps when it comes to this particular topic. In one, writers say there's nothing they can do. They are at the whims of fate, chance, inspiration, or a fleeting muse. In the other camp are the naysayers who will write papers about how writer's block just doesn't exist and is only an excuse for laziness. They might also claim that writer's block is just a convenient way for non writers to call themselves writers or that it comes from some fundamental misunderstanding of writing.

I'm my opinion, neither camp is right. I don't believe in the artistic mysticism that is often given to writing. It's not a magical talent that some possess; it is a skill like any other and it takes time to become prolific. From this angle, the idea of some fleeting muse is just ridiculous to me. Your brain is coming up with the ideas, not some genius in the wall.

However, I do think writer's block is real - kind of. I don't think it's just an excuse to not do the work. Though I am sure some people use it that way, I would argue that it isn't the majority - there is just too much stigma to being a "fake writer." You know the type: thick rimmed glasses and a scarf, the Mac Book Pro at a table in Starbucks, says he's writing the next Great American Novel.

The real issue I have with "writer's block" is the term itself and what it implies. Having a block implies some sort of external obstacle that is impossible to work around. I think it encourages learned helplessness in writers as well as a pressure to surmount an obstacle that is clearly unsurmountable. After all, if there's nothing you can do, why bother?

To switch gears a bit, imagine you're starting an exercise routine. You don't know that much about fitness - only that some people are more fit than you. However, after a few days of running every day your legs are sore. Very sore. You try to push on through the pain, but it only gets worse. Eventually you aren't only in pain, you're running slower. It's become more difficult to run at all. Now you have runners block. What do you do? Do you quit?

The difference between exercise and writing is that with exercise you are expected to become tired. If you do research on fitness, you find lot of advice encouraging you to take rest days in order to see the best results. However, if you Google how to get over writer's block, you find plenty of writing exercises, advice, and admonishment about how you need to get back to writing ASAP. I've been guilty of this myself, but these days it seems counter productive to me. It isn't giving your mind time to rest and recuperate. Unlike with exercise, people are expected to be able to write and write constantly without any kind of build-up. This is as problematic as looking at writing as some mystical process because it implies that there isn't a way to increase your output - you either do it or you don't.

Personally, I ascribe to the idea of what Nathan Bransford calls "Creative Fatigue". This is basically writer burnout. You write so much that the amount of will and effort you have available for writing is just too little. You don't have enough energy to go on. This isn't a permanent state, and it's completely normal. The way to beat it? Give yourself some time off. Do something that's less taxing on your mind - whether that's reading or watching TV or focusing on something that has nothing to do with your creative process.

This isn't an obstacle or some separate issue, it's just a fundamental part of writing.

Anyone can work themselves too hard. I think it's time to admit that people don't have to be constantly writing to be writers. You can take days off to recover and still come back later. After all, you could end up with the writer's version of shin splints and be on the bench for weeks, where a couple of rest days would have saved you the trouble and the wait.

What about you? Have you ever experienced creative block or creative fatigue?