“Writer’s block is a phony, made up BS excuse for not doing your work.” — Jerry Seinfeld
There is a demon called, acedia, in early monastic demonology. Otherwise known as the Noonday Devil. Christian moral theologians, intellectual historians, and cultural critics have described the ancient figure of acedia in various psychological states and human behaviors. These behaviors include laziness and boredom.
A fourth century Christian monk, Evagrius of Pontus, referred to acedia as “the most troublesome of all” of the eight evil thoughts. Dante’s Divine Comedy, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Aldous Huxley all used the word acedia (or accidie) in their works to describe these attitudes.
The reason I’m beginning this article discussing acedia is because as writers, we must face our own demons. In this case, writer’s block. So, you’re saying writer’s block is like a demon? Yes. It’s the writer’s demon. When a person is on a faith journey, they will encounter demons that discourage them from completing their journey. In the same way, writers are on journeys of discovery. They are discovering stories that help us better understand ourselves and the world around us.
Author of the Elements of Fiction and This Year You Write Your Novel, Walter Mosley, describes the writing process as “creating a whole new mode of understanding the world.” On Masterclass, he even has a writing course titled, “Discovering Yourself Through Writing.” I can’t speak for his course since I haven’t taken it yet. However, I have read the two titles I just mentioned. In both of his books on writing, he discusses the importance of writing yourself into your book. He isn’t saying that you should write a memoir. What he is saying is that you should write your life experiences and work those into your writing.
By writing your experiences into your work you can provide insights into the world for your reader. This advice is commonly known as “write what you know.” This writing advice is attributed to Mark Twain.
There are many critics of this advice such as the Chicago Writers Association that stated, “What if Suzanne Collins had listened to this advice and instead of a story about a 16-year-old girl named Katniss living in a future, post-apocalyptic nation, she wrote what she knew; a story about a girl named Katey living in Indiana? Or if J. K. Rowling's story about an orphaned son of two powerful wizards who possesses magical powers, became an only child of farmers in Iowa?” Later adding in the article, “We make up things and write what we don't know because we're writers.”
This all seems well intended, but it’s very misleading for writers. It leaves out two important key factors to crafting narrative works namely, what are stories and where do they come from? There are many definitions of what stories are but here’s the easiest and quickest definition. It’s an account either of a real event or a fictional one. How many stories are there and where do they come from?
Thomas C. Foster, author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, argues that there is only one story. “The basic premise of intertextuality is really pretty simple: everything’s connected. In other words, anything you write is connected to other written things.”
Foster further elaborates on this premise, “What does matter is that there is this mythic level, the level on which archetype operates and from which we borrow the figure of, for instance, the dying-and-reviving man (or god) or the young boy who must undertake a long journey.”
Here is where I refute the Chicago Writer’s Association. J.K. Rowling really was writing from what she knew. Let me elaborate what I mean by this. Here’s a list of (a few) creatures from the Harry Potter series: Basilisk, Centaur, and the Dragon.
The Basilisk is a mythological creature from Medieval Europe, “the basilisk is the king of snakes because of its killing glare and poisonous breath.” The Centaur is a creature from Greek mythology. Even in more recent history, C.S. Lewis wrote in a Centaur in his Narnia books. The origin of dragons dates back to Mesopotamia. I mention all these creatures in the Harry Potter series to bring out a point. J. K. Rowling didn’t create them from her imagination. Neither was she plagiarizing them.
We can take our experiences of how we experience life and borrowed from mythology. There may be only one story according to Foster, but that story is HUGE. It’s a rich bank account you can withdrawal from at your heart's content. As for Rowling writing from her life experiences, there is an article from Biography that states, “Rowling modeled her young hero after her childhood neighborhood friend, Ian Potter, who once lived four doors down from her in her home near Bristol.”
So, is Writer’s Block Real?
Let’s talk about it. People also refer to writer's block as creative paralysis.
This creative paralysis is a frustrating and debilitating phenomenon often leaves writers staring at blank pages. Writer’s attribute, lacking inspiration and motivation to this paralysis.
There are ways to get ahead of Writer’s Block
It's vital to know the causes and signs of writer's block. As well as the ways to overcome it. This is true for anyone involved in a creative process.
Causes and Signs to Look Out For:
Anxiety
Self-Doubt
Paralyzing Perfectionism
Deadlines
Critical Reviews
Commercial success of previous works
Fatigue
Lack of Sleep
Poor Work Environment
These factors can affect your creative process. In some cases, writers are unable to start a project. In other cases, a writer may not complete a project. This can either be a short term or a long-term issue. This condition doesn't discriminate by genre or medium. Novelists, journalists, poets, and screenwriters alike can fall prey to it.
Writer's block can take another form in how ideas are expressed. Two common symptoms are feeling unable to express ideas or unable to express ideas clearly. Overcoming writer’s block requires a combination of psychological and practical strategies. Psychologically, it’s essential for writers to address their fears and anxieties.
Here are some practical steps to help if the writer’s block is purely behavioral:
Accepting that perfection is impossible can help ease the pressure. So can knowing that mistakes are part of the creative process.
Establishing a routine can be incredibly effective. To make writing less daunting, set aside time for it.
Create a good environment. Break large projects into small tasks.
Freewriting can help. It means writing nonstop. Don't worry about grammar or coherence.
Taking breaks and doing mind-stimulating activities, like reading, walking, or listening to music, can provide new ideas and perspectives.
Slaying the Writer’s Dragon:
Your life, even if it may feel simple, is rich full of experiences uniquely your own.
For inspiration look at:
Your past
Take notice of your senses
Think of people in your life
Notice the environment around you.
Recall other environments you know.
Recall significant experiences from your past
First, go on this journey of self-discovery in your mind. Then, withdraw a fat check from the mythological bank account. In one piggy bank you’re loaded with personal experiences. The other piggy bank is practically full of infinite mythology.
You’re a storytelling high-roller my friend.
In this article, I’ve also shared with you some practical advice for dealing with writer’s block. Writer’s block, while challenging, is not insurmountable. You can overcome writer's block. Now that you understand its causes and effects you can take precautions. By taking measures against it you will return to a state of creative flow. The key is in persistence. It's about facing and overcoming the barriers to creativity. Armed with inspiration and the ability to overcome creative paralysis you’ll be sure to slay the writer’s dragon. You’ve got this!
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