Writer’s Block: 4 Tips to Regain Inspiration

Writer’s block is one of the most unpleasant phenomena that most people who must write creatively with some frequency may go through. Furthermore, it is a frustrating experience, since it creates the illusion that one is unable to make the slightest progress with the writing of the text, and this complicates things even more, creating a vicious circle.

It is clear that writer’s block cannot be solved in a matter of seconds, but there are certain strategies that can be used to maximize the chances of inspiration returning.

Why does writer’s block appear?

Writer’s block is, as its name suggests, the phenomenon that occurs when someone who must write an original text (regardless of its length) finds himself unable to write even a few paragraphs that meet a minimum of internal coherence or interest.

It is, in short, the lack of concrete ideas from which to write something. A person may be more or less clear about what he wants to talk about, but the words simply do not flow. It can occur even in the most creative people, since inspiration is something deeply contextual, it does not arise individually from within each one. The environment, what you are doing and what you are thinking about what you are doing, are elements that have a lot of influence.

Typically, writer’s block It is something that is based a lot on suggestion and in the phenomenon known as self-fulfilling prophecy: the fact of thinking about what is happening and categorizing it as a blockage makes the problem a little more complicated, since this affects the feeling of self-efficacy and causes a certain anxiety to appear that can end up demanding the attention that should be allocated to the creative.

So, it must be clear that writer’s block can be due to many things, but it is never due to the inability to write something creative or original: this is something that can be done by practically anyone with unaffected cognitive abilities. The problem is not in the lack of things to say, but in other things that have to do with two parallel processes: the lack of references, and distractions.

Tips to regain inspiration

It is something that differs qualitatively from the rest of the difficulties that have to do with writing. If you are tired, you write slower; If you don’t have time, you think about what you are going to write or take notes here and there, but if writer’s block appears, There is practically no progress when trying to get creative.

Thus, where this type of blockage occurs, there is an inability to have a good starting point from which a text can start. Efforts to solve this must be focused on providing this fundamental support that, once overcome, gives way to a phase in which writing is much easier. Let’s look at several guidelines to follow.

1. Decide your strategy: gardener or architect

According to the famous writer George RR Martin, there are two types of writers: architects and gardeners. The former first plan the fundamental structure of what they want to explain and then put it into words, and the latter begin with a narrative element and, from that, they develop a text, in a very spontaneous way, based on what they are told. It suggests what they write.

Being clear about which of these two strategies you are starting from is very useful. Choose one and stick to it, otherwise simply wondering which one to follow will waste more time and frustrate you more.

2. Look for lack of motivation

It is possible that part of the writer’s block you experience is because what you think you are going to write does not motivate you, so the desire to take on that creative challenge does not arise spontaneously, since it requires a certain amount of effort. Yes that’s how it is, look for small elements that interest you and that you think can fit well and enrich the text, and include them, or make one of them part of that “starter” for the first lines.

3. Put off your perfectionism and write (almost) anything

You cannot be a perfectionist with something that does not exist because it has not yet been created. However, the effects of excessive perfectionism are noticeable before you start writing: specifically, it makes getting started more difficult. Therefore, it is good greatly lower the minimum quality required for the first lines.

What emerges will probably be very imperfect, but at least it will provide a basis for building the rest of the text. Even if nothing created in the first writing session survives to the end of the creative process, it will have had great value.

4. Disconnect completely

Another option is to stop obsessing about writing and do something else, especially if it is something relaxing and in an environment where it is easy to disconnect. This way the anxiety about writer’s block will decrease, and it will be easier to deal with this task in the future.