Writer's block is such a hard thing to struggle with, especially as someone who writes regularly as opposed to just when necessary. Whether you're a journalist struggling over the right topic or a poet trying to thread words together to make the intricately knitted metaphor you're dreaming of coming alive or you're a student just trying to reach the word count for that one big paper, writer's block plagues us all sometimes.
It feels like we have no control over our own thoughts and lives whenever it strikes.
But it doesn't define or control us. Struggling with writer's block can ruin your entire day and mood, and strip away all the foundations of your attention span, and can make you feel useless.
But it can be overcome. There is no foolproof methodology nor is there any sort of cure, but there are things you can do or you can remind yourself of to help take care of you and your brain even when it's refusing to help you write or grow or learn or achieve.
You can start by just organizing your thoughts. Whether this is by walking away to gather yourself, or by writing down everything that pops into your head whenever it does, or by just screaming and then tackling the task from a different angle, finding a way to re-organize and recuperate is a great step towards overcoming a block.
You can also try a writing exercise. This can be anything from just finding a random prompt online to play with to just making your shopping list. Writing anything at all, even if it ends up being something tedious or subpar by your own standards, is still writing even when it isn't writing the thing you're stumped on.
Beyond this, you can always just take a break. Sometimes a day or a session really is a lost cause and there's nothing you can do to control that, it'll be better on you to just disengage and go do whatever you want for a while, before coming back in a few hours or a few days or even as long as in a few years.
Taking breaks when you are lost is just as important an exercise and churning things out repeatedly when you're on a roll.
Remember that you are still talented, you are still a writer, you are still skilled. Give yourself affirmations even when totally lost, and never let yourself carry too heavy a burden just because of a little snafu.
Writing is hard and being able to do it at all is amazing, recognize that and treat yourself as the legend you are for being able to have written anything at all, even if that anything is just a few quick journal entries or some really good sentences in texts to your best friend. Everything counts in the game of self-love.
Don't let temporary defeat lessen your view of your own self.
No one knows how to defeat the evil that is writer's block, but that doesn't mean it can't be fought. Don't go too hard on yourself for too long, take some of this advice or advice from people outside of myself, and eventually, you're gonna be able to do something, even in a minute form, that you can be proud of. Trust me, this article itself was a result of me using these exercises and reminders to overcome a serious bout of writer's block. Love yourself, trust yourself, and you'll put those fabulous words together in no time!
