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Handling Writer's Block    Return to Views Directory Page
Writer's block is like ESP.  Some people believe in it, others don't. Some consider it an occupational hazard, others an illusion or a collapse of discipline.  (Norman Mailer declared, "Writer's block is only a failure of the ego.")   The fact is that writers, like folks in other professions, sometimes have trouble getting the old engine started when it comes time to haul the load.

There are two circumstances under which I have trouble putting words on paper (or on the computer screen):

• When I'm physically or mentally not up to sitting down and doing what needs to be done, and
• When I'm uncertain about either what I want to say or how I want to say it, or both.

The only solution I've found for the first type of "block" is to recharge my physical and mental batteries.  I take a long walk or a short nap, go to a movie, exercise, go for a drive, work in the garden, or just take the day off.  After all, writing is hard work -- "Writing is easy," Gene Fowler argued. "All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead" -- and if you don't take time out to re-energize yourself, it catches up to you.

The second type of block is more common, and the only way to work around it is to work through it.  Here are a few tips:

• Just start writing.  Too often, we demand of ourselves that we have a clear idea of where we're going before we take the first step.  Sometimes you need to take a few steps before you know where you're going.  I've always found that the best way to break a creative impasse is to throw words at it.  I might type three or four paragraphs (or pages) before I hit on something that I like.  But when I do hit, the floodgates open.  (Andre Gide wrote, "Too often I wait for the sentence to finish taking shape in my mind before setting it down. It is better to seize it by the end that first offers itself, head or foot, not knowing the rest, and then pull; the rest will follow along.")
  
• Talk to Yourself.  When I get stuck writing down my ideas, I try talking through them.  I go to a quiet spot with my microcassette recorder, and I record an informal presentation on the topic I'm supposed to be writing about.  I pretend I'm addressing an audience or a class, or explaining the project to my wife.  Sometimes I take both parts in a conversation--asking myself questions and answering them.  Because I don't have to type as I think, I often find that the words and ideas flow and linkages form more readily when I'm using the recorder than when I'm sitting at the keyboard.
  
• Play Association Games.  Especially when I'm in need of a good starting idea or visual image, I try free-association exercises.  I go back through my notes on the project and pick out ten or twenty words or phrases that are central to the message I'm trying to convey.  Then I brainstorm each one, coming up with the wildest, most creative associations I can think of.  Sooner or later, the right idea pops out.
  
• Go Back to the Research.  If all else fails, the problem most likely is not one of creativity but of knowledge.  I simply may not know enough about the topic to start writing.  I go back through the source materials for the project. I pick up the phone and call the project's content expert.  I get on the Internet and see what additional information is available.  Once my command of the facts reaches a certain critical mass, the writing starts to happen almost on its own.
  
• Rethink Your Basic Idea.  Sometimes a flash of inspiration really isn't.  Many times, while out for a walk or reading a book, a phrase or an image suddenly pops into my brain, excitedly whispering promises of being my next award-winning script or my Big Break into fiction.  Often I rush to my computer and discover that all I can get out of my Grand Idea is one or two pithy sentences.  I used to sit for hours trying to force such sterile seeds to grow, but all that grew was my frustration.  Now, when I begin to sense that a flash of brilliance was really only a glimmer, I file it away for the day when I might discover some related idea that will give that glimmer the added dimensions it needs to be worthwhile.

The most important thing is to understand that "writer's block," or whatever you call it, is a natural part of the creative cycle.  Every day is not a great writing day.  Some days are warm-ups.    Just believe in the ability that has gotten you where you are, don't deny yourself well-deserved breaks, and keep in mind the words of Isaac B. Singer:

"The wastepaper basket is the writer's best friend."

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