As I sat down to write the article you’re currently reading, I found myself staring at blank pages, observing the empty beauty of nothing. This phenomenon, known as writer’s block, infects a mixed population of writers. No one is exempt from the acquisition of this disease. Nevertheless, by examining the common causes of the illness, one may gather sufficient information to combat it, as a self-given prescription to prevent writer’s block.
The lack of a writing system, a self-developed method to produce creative pieces, maybe a possible reason for the opening of your Pandora’s box. To grow as a writer, you need to understand yourself; that is, what kind of strategies best stimulate your creative process. Maya Angelou’s system consisted of persistently writing whatever came to her mind, regardless of the quality of her content. For instance, in Writer’s Dreaming, Angelou said, “I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat,’ you know. And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write”.
Consistency was as important to Angelou as to Stephen King. The author demonstrated the importance of tenacity by stating, “Once I start work on a project, I don’t stop, and I don’t slow down unless I absolutely have to. If I don’t write every day, the characters begin to stale off in my mind … I begin to lose my hold on the story’s plot and pace.” On the other hand, Mark Twain’s strategy, on the fight against the no. 1 cause of frustration in writers, was to use the method of outlining. Twain claimed, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”
If you’re having difficulties with starting to write, you might be in the wrong place. Whether your writing spot is your office or your house, it is imperative that, when writing, you move to and from places. Getting away from your usual writing space can help you generate fresh ideas, which could be put into paper. If you opt for movement in your life, the muse is probably going to knock on your door in the blink of an eye. Changing your environment, as well as modifying your mindset, will bring you instant results: you won’t have to look for inspiration. Andy Clark, professor of logic and metaphysics at Edinburgh University, claims that embodied cognition, defined as “the claim that the brain, while important, is not the only resource we have available to us to generate behavior,” could explain why creativity is shaped by elements of the body, other than the brain. When your body is continuously moving, you are influencing your thoughts.
Besides the absence of movement, the intent of writing a piece that is perfect could lead to the detrimental condition of writer’s block. While being afraid of making mistakes is normal, especially for a writer-in-training, trying to please all of your readers will be your cavalry. No writer, not even the greatest writers in history, are perfect. Choose to invest your time on writing more rather than focusing excessively on a single sentence you dislike. Accepting your imperfections can lead to more successful results and to a more relaxed writing process.
Writer’s block is related to a desire to be perfect in paper, as well as a lack of corporal movement. You should develop a writing system to challenge the hardships posed by writer’s block. Dare to get out of your no muse zone through the vaccination obtained by reading this article, which will reduce your chances of acquiring the unwanted epidemic.