Disheartened by Writer's Block?

Is Writer’s Block Real?

Sure it is. I mean, if you’ve just spent three hours staring at the blank page, that’s real, isn’t it? So maybe the question we should be asking is, must the experience of writer's block be as incapacitating as it first appears? To that, I think, the answer is no.

A favorite lesson I learned from my teacher at UCLA, Richard Walter, is that creatives are prone to procrastination. (That probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise to everyone reading this.) But hearing Richard’s story comforted me beyond belief in that first course meeting during the summer of 2012. Richard described what it feels like to be a writer. You get up, walk the dog, check email, remember to empty your mailbox… and lo and behold, it’s already 1130AM. It simply feels counterproductive to write now. I mean, it’s almost time for lunch. So, you have lunch, and as you bus the dishes away, your best friend calls to go and see a movie. “Why not?” You think to yourself, “Watching a movie will inspire me to write my screenplay.” By the time you have a post-movie debrief and get home, you walk the dog, it’s almost time for dinner, you cook, eat, watch an episode of your favorite TV show… and conclude that it would make sense to go to bed early, get up tomorrow, and start with a fresh mind. Tomorrow, you’ll write that screenplay (or make whatever you’re making).

“Repeat that cycle for fifteen days and, as your writing deadline approaches, you’ll eventually become so desperate that you’ll lock yourself in your apartment for a long weekend and complete the assignment.”

I chuckled to myself upon hearing Richard’s conclusion – and I recognized myself in the story. When the deadline looms, POOF! No more writer’s block.

Another mentor of mine, celebrated animator and director Phil Roman, didn’t hesitate to remind me of a golden principle of creativity:

“It’s all about the constraints,” Phil said.

Creatives need constraints like a good architect needs the laws of physics (and in particular, gravity). It’s by working within the constraints that, ultimately, we creatives test our limits and push ourselves to grow. Perhaps to some degree, limitations give us a sense of comfort, or reference points. We don’t get lost in a massive, overwhelming, anxiety-inducing sea of what might, could, should, would, be better. We throw the clay on the potter’s wheel and start shaping something, that might even turn into something good. As words fill the recently blank page, it suddenly appears less intimidating. Even if, as Anne Lamott puts it, we later scrap 3000 words in order to get one paragraph (or sentence) that works.

Therein, I think, lies the key to defeating the monsters in our minds and hearts: You don't have writer’s block when you’re writing. Anything. The writing doesn't have to be good, or even close to perfect. It simply has to exist in order to break the pattern.

You have to put one word after the other. That’s it. Instead of thinking about how much remains to be done, how about breaking it into the smallest first step you can take? Who knows… you might even find delight in wrestling through the process, and setting your inner creative free.

Here are my seven top tips for overcoming your fear of the blank page:

1. Get moving. Take a walk. Reduce your stress levels, and remind yourself why you fell in love with writing (or the idea of writing) in the first place.
2. Breathe. Center. Meditate. Slow your mind, and the world around you will calm down. I especially like listening to music that’s designed to calm me down and lower stress levels, like Weightless, by Marconi Union.
3. First drafts are just that: first drafts. Throw those words down on paper and laugh about them tomorrow.
4. Journal. Get those negative thoughts out of your head and fill them with encouraging words of self-love. If you don’t respect yourself, and your art, no one will.
5. Let go of perfection. We’re all human, after all. And it’s awesome. We get to get up tomorrow and do better… and make more mistakes.
6. Set aside 30 minutes every day to write. You’d be surprised how quickly it adds up. Once you’re ready and making steady progress, you can increase the commitment. 
7. Join a supportive community, like our (free) Story Design Master Community, to connect with fellow creatives and valuable resources. 

(With special thanks to Patrick Kennedy for encouraging me to share my ideas on LinkedIn.)