4 Simple Ways to Overcome Your Writer’s Block or Self-Doubt

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Strategies to Overcome Writer’s Block?

Writer’s block or self-doubt plague most writers at some point. If you’re planning to write and self-publish your book, they can slow down your progress and even stop book writing projects in their tracks.

That’s one reason I wrote this article for you. I wanted to create useful content on this topic, gather that information on my website, and offer an in-depth resource for any writer struggling with this issue.

[See the growing series on overcoming self-doubt and writer’s block .]

Do you find writer’s block or self-doubt bothering you? If so, you’re not alone. I’m glad to tell you that you can learn to navigate around these issues with a little practice.?

Leadership coach Bob Corbett joined me to talk about this topic. Read on for his specific strategies and steps to manage the issue.?

First, let’s define writer’s block and why it’s a problem.

What is writer’s block?

When a writer experiences a creative slowdown or a complete inability to produce new work, we label that “writer’s block.”

The block can show up in various forms, such as a lack of inspiration, motivation, or confidence in one's writing abilities. It’s not fun at all! And blocks can happen to any writer no matter their level of experience.

Why is writer’s block such a problem?

• Decreased Productivity: One of the effects of writer's block is a decrease in productivity. Writers may find it challenging to create new work or progress on existing projects. That can lead to unfinished manuscripts and missed deadlines.?
• Frustration and Stress: Writers may feel stuck, anxious, or even hopeless about their ability to overcome the block.
• Loss of Confidence: Continuously facing obstacles to their creative process can erode a writer's confidence. They may doubt their talent and question whether they're cut out for writing.
• Procrastination: Writers may avoid sitting down to write altogether or engage in unproductive activities instead of implementing strategies to overcome the block.?
• Self-Criticism: Writers may become hyper-aware of their flaws and shortcomings, leading to a vicious cycle of negative self-talk that further exacerbates the block.?
• Isolation: Writers experiencing writer's block may withdraw from social interactions with other writers or collaborators, feeling ashamed or embarrassed about their inability to produce work.

Edited Transcript

Deborah Ager:

Hey, everyone. I'm here today to talk about writer's block and self-doubt with Bob Corbett, and I'm very excited to have you here today.?

You're a leadership coach, you have a lot of experience in the corporate world, and you are currently writing a book and have been doing a fabulous job making progress on it. So, I'm really excited to talk to you about this topic. Thank you for being here today.

Bob Corbett:

Well, thanks for having me Deb. I appreciate it, and thanks for the kind words.

Deborah:

Of course, of course. So, tell me more about what some of the common struggles are that you've noticed either in yourself or with other people when it comes to writer's block or self-doubt overall.

Bob:

Well, it happens. I either get writer's block, or I freeze like a deer in headlights. The block is the result of feeling overwhelmed by the thought of writing a book or writing something that's very important to me that I have to share with others. I hope that I do it in the right way, that they'll receive what I write in a way that it's intended and value the ideas. That's one thing, but there are several others.?

I have this incessant editing and rewriting need because the writing is never good enough. That's the perfectionist side of me. I'll have concerns about my writing being too deep or too superficial, concern about the wording being too academic, boring or too colloquial and light, and a couple others. I’ll be concerned about how others will respond to the points of view that I express. And then, finally, I’ll have insecure thoughts about the book's impact on my personal image if it's not well received.

Deborah:

Mm-hmm. And those are very common feelings that a lot of people have about writing a book or writing an article or a blog. So, those are very normal human feelings to have about the whole situation. I know that those can be a stopping point or sticking point for a lot of people. What has worked well for you to handle some of those feelings and situations?

Bob:

Usually what happens is I'll do a topical outline when I'm feeling stuck. And what that'll do is help me identify key topical areas that I know that I want to talk about. I'll get those down, and then I'll circle back to them and expand them out…When I do that, it takes the pressure off of me from writing text or content, if you will, and I begin to focus on key ideas that I know I want to express or that are important to me that I want to explore further in my writing.

But that for me is the key to get past writer’s block and self-doubt. If I can let go of feeling stuck, then this topical outline is a tool to get me off feeling stuck and start feeling good about myself doing something. By circling back with the topical outline and expanding it, I sometimes get freed up and ideas start coming, and I'm back on a roll again.

Deborah:

That's an excellent idea. I think what the outline allows an author to do is to take those small steps that you were talking about. It is forward movement and progress on the book. The outline helps us get the ideas out of our head, and that can be a great technique for us to be able to keep moving forward.

Bob:

Two other quick points.

Deborah:

Sure!

Bob:

I found that calendarizing time to write is important rather than just writing when I feel like it. And then the other thing that works for me is I love to have some smooth jazz in the background. The music brings my anxiety level down and feels mellow, comfortable, and familiar. So that works too.

Deborah:

That sparks an idea or sparks a memory about something I read recently. Someone said they have an app that plays coffee shop sounds, and if they can't get to the coffee shop, they play this app. And they work very well in coffee shops with that ambient sound. That would be another option in addition to listening to music. That's a great suggestion. Thank you.

Bob:

Yeah.

Deborah:

Yeah. So writer's block can be tricky because our subconscious mind or the habits we have of thinking sometimes these can be automatic negative thoughts. I heard someone call them ANTs for automatic negative thoughts recently. It can cause that to happen. And so due to these negative thoughts that we might have, we might start to think that's reality and we begin to live that reality. For instance, we might say, "I can't do it. I can't write a book," or something like that. So what are your thoughts on this or what do you think about this overall?

Bob:

That's a great question.?

I agree to thinking habits, including self-doubt. For me, I call self-doubt my inner critic. When I'm feeling that, that can lead to a writer's block for me. I try to reframe the self-doubt though. I try to think of, again, the inner critic or the negative thoughts as an awareness within me that the messages are, "You're not good enough, you're not capable enough.” But I like to think of it as…an internal protection mechanism that says you have these thoughts, [and] you need to figure out how you're going to navigate it.

You know you're good enough. I mean, you know you're not that bad. We're all flawed, obviously, but you know you're not that bad. But it's a message that says, "These are things that are bubbling up. What do you want to do about it? How do you want to manage it? How do you want to tackle it?"

I view writer’s block as a safety mechanism…It’s like the person that announces the trains are coming...I can choose to just view it [self-doubt or writer’s block] as an announcement that says, "Hey, there are some thoughts that are rolling around here that you need to get your arms around."

Just don't engage in them, manage them.

Deborah:

I love that. Don't engage in them, manage them. I love the idea of imagining myself in a train station hearing the announcements and knowing most of them don't apply to me. I let them sail right on by.

We can choose what we need to listen to and decide what's important. And what's important is that announcement that tells us it's time to get on board.

Hopefully, that metaphor works for others. I love it, so thank you for sharing that. This offers another clarifying way of seeing the whole situation and figuring out what we as writers can do about that.?

Thank you so much for being here today and for sharing your wisdom.

Bob:

Thank you.

?

Bob Corbett’s Tips to Overcome Writer’s Block

• Schedule time on the calendar to write as opposed to writing when you feel like it.
• Use a topical outline to get the ideas flowing.
• Don’t engage in self-doubt or writer’s block. Manage them. When self-doubt or writer’s block shows up, ask yourself, “What do I want to do about it? How do I want to manage it? How do I want to tackle it?”
• Listen to music–especially smooth jazz!

About Bob Corbett

Bob Corbett, PCC, helps build better leaders faster by giving them the clarity they need when they need it most. He’s led cross-functional teams and worked in 10+ countries in manufacturing, technology, and aerospace to financial services and education. At EY, he partnered with leaders to help them meet or exceed their personal and organizational goals by leveraging their strengths and strengthening the alignment between them and their teams. He’s served in Human Resources leadership or coaching/consultative roles for Kraft Foods, PWC, The American Hospital Association, Exelon Corporation, Baxter Healthcare, TRW, Levi Strauss & Co., Computer Software Associates, and The Hay Group.

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