Imagine this scenario: You’re sitting at your desk, anxiously twiddling your thumbs. You have a deadline coming up. It’s due in a week. You know you have to get it done. You know you are caught in the space between thinking you have enough or don’t have enough time. You know you can write about whatever you want; you may even have a topic picked out. But no matter what you do, you can’t think of anything.
So you’re wondering how you can have a topic picked out but you can’t think of anything to write for it. Alas, it’s totally possible. This phenomenon is called writer’s block.
Writer's block can occur within a wide range with various symptoms and feelings. You may not have any motivation to write. You may have a bundle of ideas but can’t choose from them. Sometimes you have ideas you want to write about but you can’t put them into words. And of course, my favorite, you do write but nothing sounds good.
It’s deliberating and it's a writer’s worst enemy. No matter if you write comics, fiction, poetry, prose, blog entries, or even articles, you will inevitably get stuck. Some people can get through it and create wonderful stories. Yet, more so in my case, it feels like I have cement hardening on my feet. I try to move, but no matter what I do, I can’t escape from it. Sometimes I just make it even worse while I try to escape and I pushmyself down even further into the concrete. I have stories from my junior year of high school that I have yet to finish.
But why does writer’s block occur? Why do people get so frustrated with writing stories? To be honest, it’s a case by case basis. As each writer is unique, their relationship with writer’s block differs slightly. For an example, when I get writer’s block it is usually because I don't have enough time, or I don't feel like writing. I, like many other writers, are busy juggling extracurricular, classes, work, and a social life that we often neglect our deepest ambitions. It’s a real tragedy.
And that’s just without a deadline. In school, when I’m lucky I will immediately know what I’m going to write about for an essay without having to make stuff up. But I’m at my luckiest when I have time to write down my thoughts for a paper. More often than not, it’s not the case, and I'm sure that I'm not alone.
So what can we do together to combat this issue? Nothing. While writers all have the same issue, the reasons are different for everyone. Just for the reasons why it happens, there are as many existing cures. If you really want to continue writing, you will be wanting to try every tactic in the bag. You will want to try writing in different ways.
Maybe some day I'll write about how to get over writer's block. But first, I need to get over my own. So if you excuse me, I'm going to go try to write now.
