Problem In Writing Process: It's Not You, It's the Writer's Block Itself

There are many problems experienced by writers while creating their works. Especially for literary works, this situation can sometimes get complicated. I would like to refer to the term Writer's Block, which is one of the most common issues and can sometimes even cause the writer to quit the job.

This term is used when talking about a situation where writers have a pause in their writing process and disrupt the writing process. For example, the author cannot add new chapters to the book and has difficulties in finding new ideas.

So, how does this affect the creative process? Let's have a look!

First, one of the things I should mention is what kind of routine the writers (at least those who work with a certain planning) have in the writing of literary works.

If I want to tell you based on my personal experience, if you are trying to create a fictional world and characters by making an outline or just want to write a new chapter for a book like me, you may be a little stunned when Writer's Block hits you.

The biggest reason for this is that if you have a well-executed fictional world and characters, a sudden loss of motivation can drag you down in the creative process. Actually, I don't think it's clear why this is the case, of course, although most writers sometimes get dragged into this situation by being exposed to disinformation in profession, I think most of the time we look for the problem in ourselves. Especially for those who are young and new to this field.

In addition, another factor may be that the author is overly critical of himself because sometimes they can approach their works with perfectionism. This approach forces them to get too attached to the details while writing.

As someone who has taken this approach a lot, sometimes you feel compelled because if you don't have anyone to give feedback to or if you keep your work to yourself, you may be criticizing yourself too much.

If we look at this situation with another approach, such as external interventions to writing process. If you often hear from your friends or family that it is idiotic to write or that what you are writing is stupid, it is likely that this will create an inner pressure on you and lose your enthusiasm.

In this case, I think the best thing to do is to proceed without paying much attention to external factors (yes, I know it's easy to say). While doing this, you can use the things that inspire you as a force to keep writing. I think inspirations are really important to hold to when writing because it's what started the writing. It's the starting point, it's the muse of being creative.

The last thing I want to mention is the fear of being criticized. Sure, you want to finish your work, but what is next? What if you get criticized a lot?

In this regard, I think the criticism is very useful with its good aspects. That is, criticism, if it is done correctly and clearly, is often a way to take what you write in a better direction.

So, what can we do to overcome this situation? Here are some helpful advices:

Free Writing: Simply put, the purpose of this method is to write what comes to your mind, without limiting yourself and without making any adjustments, for a certain period of time, such as 10-15 minutes.

Perfection vs. Progress: The writing process is grueling, and every author wants their work to be decent to read but getting too attached to it prevents the process from moving forward. As I said before, being too perfectionist actually prevents you from making mistakes. The downside is that one of the ways to actually make progress is to make mistakes. So, if you keep your focus on progress, you can be sure that it will make a difference.

Give Yourself the Right to Be Bored: Yes, this suggestion may seem to contradict the content of the article, but no, it may be in your best interest to allow yourself a break from time to time. If you're in the middle of the Writer's Block situation, give yourself some time. Trust yourself and your imagination. After all, think about it this way, your idea was just a dream you had in your head, and somehow you sat down at the keyboard, or you could pick up the pen. You were able to be creative, never forget that! Give yourself a break because the creative process is something you already have. Don't let this scare you, and don't pressure yourself with it.

The last thing I want to say when I come to the end of my article is to trust yourself and the process. It will get you where you want, just don't think that the problem is you, the problem (as I wrote in the title, Writer's Block itself). The problem is not you.

Source: https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/psychology-writers-block-overcome/