On Writer's Block (And How I'm Beating It)

Last week I had nearly a zero-word week. It sucked.?

I’d love to say that I sat in front of my keyboard, staring at a Google Doc, trying hard to come up with something worth posting, publishing, and reading. This is the scene that people talk about when they’re describing writer’s block: the author, tearing their hair out over a page but sticking with it to get the job done. I only did that for about five minutes though.?

The rest of the week I busied myself with scrolling on Linkedin and Tiktok, designing my wedding invitations, cleaning the house, playing pickleball, reading novels, and generally finding anything else to do but write. As I list those things out it sounds like a pretty good week actually, but it didn’t feel good because I was thinking about needing to write while doing all those other things.?

This is how I experience writer’s block: it’s not so much word constipation as a sudden and complete loss of motivation. Like the fertile soil where my ideas grow has washed away, and I’m trying to harvest a crop from concrete. “Blocked” doesn’t feel precisely correct when I go through these periods. For a blockage to happen there has to be a flow upriver. I am a dry wash, cracked with drought.?

There are two schools of author thought when blocks happen: you either stick with it and grind out a word count or you step away and take a break.?

Intellectually I’m a proponent of the “stick it out” philosophy because it’s worked for me in the past. The hustlebro capitalist on my shoulder approves of this strategy. It's better to have written 500 shitty words than no words at all, right? But last week I couldn’t even force myself to do that, so I went with the second option.?

For the sake of my business, it’s worth mentioning that I was (supposed to be) working on my own manuscript last week, so having a zero week didn’t affect any client projects. Client work is shockingly easy compared to writing for myself, probably because knowing another person is depending on me lights a flame under my people-pleasing ass.?

This week I’m back at my desk and my brain feels better. But since my book is all about how clinicians can become authors, I know my readers will have days and weeks where they feel blocked too. So I got to thinking about ways that I’ve coached authors (and myself) through inevitable blocks in the past:

1. Trust the process

90% of the difficulty of writer’s block for me is how I look at it. During my first few years as a writer, fallow periods terrified me because every time the tide of my creativity ebbed, I thought it would never come back. I’d have a bad week and tell myself I’d feel that way forever. A day of lost productivity felt devastating. My internal monologue told me I was wasting my time, everyone else was working harder than me, and my lack of consistency felt like a character flaw.?

My frontal lobe had developed since those early days, and years in the biz have also shown me that ebbs and flows are normal. These periods are a function of the system, not a breakdown in its processes. And often, I come back with more clarity and fresh ideas.?

2. Reframe productivity

When I first started my business I read a ton of books about writing. I consumed courses, I watched Youtube videos, I subscribed to newsletters. Anything but actually doing the scary thing: putting words on a page.?

When I finally started practicing, I realized I’d been putting off actually writing because my results were never perfect. Consuming information helped me procrastinate while telling myself I was doing essential work. Time spent drafting is always a challenge because my brain is generating something rather than consuming. That exercise is essential to build the writing muscle.?

After I noticed my knowledge over-consumption, my framing swung in the opposite direction. I tend to feel like non-writing time is wasted time in my business. I became militaristic with my worcount, and if it doesn’t go up each day, I tend to scold myself.?

But that isn’t exactly true either: to get great outputs, you have to have great inputs. When I simply cannot write, I can read, take a walk, research, outline, or stare off into space.?

All this to say, just because you’re not writing doesn’t mean you’re not working (but beware of the perfectionist tendency to consume perfectly rather than produce imperfectly).?

3. Seek out inspiration IRL

“Go touch grass” is probably the most patronizing phrase on the internet, but in this case the trolls are right, although I’ve got my twist to add. Real-world experiences are some of the best tonic for writer’s block, but you don’t have to get your hands dirty. The point is to get your brain outside of your draft, so you can soak up some palate-cleansing reality.?

In my case, talking to clients helps remind me why I’m doing the work in the first place. Connecting with other humans is the engine behind my craft. Seeking out reminders for your "why" might look like interviewing some of the folks you’ve worked with previously. Maybe you’re targeting an audience of young women, so you schedule a coffee chat with a friend’s daughter in that demographic.?

Taking a walk or going outside is one of the first pieces of advice given on writer’s block, and it’s not a bad idea either. The point is to get your brain off of the work and thinking about bigger things so you come back fresh.?

4. Write out the ugly stuff first

A friend recently reminded me of Morning Pages, a concept introduced by Julia Cameron’s book The Artists’ Way. It’s a somewhat laborious process, but once I tried it for a few days I learned that it (unfortunately) works to help clear out the junk from my brain so I can get to the good stuff.?

Morning Pages are handwritten, stream-of-consciousness thoughts you jot down first thing in the morning. I sometimes turn to the practice mid-day when my energy is flagging and I tend to lose focus. Anxious thoughts, ramblings, complaints, ideas, and other loose brain junk are great fodder for Morning Pages. These notes don’t need to be legible either — I recently spoke with another friend who intentionally writes hers sloppily so she can move through her thoughts faster.?

5. Get altitude

Some blocks are a natural part of being a human in a creative pursuit. In some cases, being blocked can also be a symptom that you’ve taken a wrong turn or need to re-work something. Maybe you’ve written yourself into a corner you don’t want to be in, and it’s time to retrace your steps. Or you’re drafting a section you have less experience with, so there’s more research to be done.?

Getting space away from your work is an essential part of the drafting process that’ll help you gain perspective when you return. And the beauty of the writer’s brain is that it’s working even when you’re not.?

Your turn!

What’s your strategy for getting your groove back when you feel creatively blocked/dry/impotent/frozen/paralyzed/stalled/etc??