Writer’s block is one of the most unpleasant phenomena that most people who have to write creatively often go through. Moreover, it is a frustrating experience, since it creates the illusion that one is unable to make the slightest progress with the writing of the text, and this complicates things even more, creating a vicious circle.

Clearly, writer’s block cannot be solved in a matter of seconds, but there are certain strategies that can be used to maximize the chances of inspiration returning.

Why does writer’s block appear?

Writer’s block is, as its name suggests, the phenomenon that occurs when someone who has to write an original text (regardless of its length) is unable to write even a few paragraphs that meet a minimum of internal coherence or interest.

It is, in short, the lack of concrete ideas from which to write something. A person may be more or less clear about what they want to talk about, but the words just don’t flow. It can happen even in the most creative people, since inspiration is something deeply contextual, it does not come up individually from inside each one. The environment, what you’re doing and what you’re thinking about what you’re doing, are very influential elements.

Generally, writer’s block is something that relies heavily on suggestion and the phenomenon known as self-fulfilling prophecy: thinking about what is happening and categorizing it as a blockage makes the problem a little more complicated, since this affects the feeling of self-efficacy and causes a certain anxiety to appear that can end up demanding the attention that should be devoted to the creative.

So it should be clear that writer’s blockage can be due to many things, but it is never due to the impossibility of writing something creative or original: this is something that can be done by virtually anyone with unaffected cognitive abilities. The problem is not in the lack of things to say, but in other things that have to do with two parallel processes: the lack of references, and distractions.

Tips to regain inspiration

It is something that differs qualitatively from the other difficulties that have to do with writing. If you are tired, you write more slowly; if you don’t have time, you think about what you are going to write or you take notes here and there, but if writer’s block appears, you make practically no progress in trying to get creative .

So, where this kind of blockage occurs, there is an inability to have a good starting point from which a text can start. Efforts to solve this must be focused on providing this fundamental support which, once overcome, gives way to a phase in which writing is much easier. Let us look at several guidelines to follow.

1. Decide on your strategy: gardener or architect

According to the famous writer George R. R. Martin, there are two types of writers: architects and gardeners . The former first plan the fundamental structure of what they want to explain and then put it into words, and the latter begin with a narrative element and, from there, develop a text, in a very spontaneous way, from what is suggested to them by what they write.

Being clear about which of these two strategies to start with is very useful. Choose one and be faithful to it, otherwise the simple doubt about which one to follow will make you waste more time and frustrate you more.

2. Look for lack of motivation

Part of the writer’s blockage you experience may be because what you think you are going to write does not motivate you, so the desire to face that creative challenge does not arise spontaneously, as it requires a certain amount of effort. If this is the case, look for small elements that do interest you and that you think might fit well and enrich the text, and include them, or make one of them part of that “boot” for the first few lines.

3. Put off your perfectionism and write (almost) anything

You can’t be a perfectionist with something that doesn’t exist because it hasn’t been created yet. However, the effects of an excess of perfectionism are felt even before one begins to write: specifically, it makes the beginning more difficult. That’s why it’s good to greatly reduce the minimum quality required for the first lines .

What emerges will probably be very imperfect, but at least it will provide a basis for building up the rest of the text. Even if nothing created in the first writing session survives at the end of the creative process, it will have been of great value.

4. Disconnect completely

Another option is to stop obsessing about writing and do something else, especially if it’s something relaxing and in an environment where it’s easy to disconnect. This way the anguish of writer’s block will diminish, and it will be easier to deal with this task in the future.