Writer's Block: When Writing Feels Impossible

I promised myself the next time I felt like (this) I would document it. I wanted something to look back on when this feeling inevitably creeped up again and also something to share with others who might feel the same.

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Sometimes writing can be romanticized. It looks easy, the words feel like they’ll flow effortlessly. But that reality is far from the truth for most of us. When you’re a writer (especially when you’re a beginner) you’ll face a lot of emotional challenges in your writing.

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Lately I’m feeling:

• Self-doubt

• Perfectionism

• Burnout

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And all of this makes me questions my career choice at all. Yes even though I’ve been writing for well over a decade. I still have days that turn my creative process on its head. Of course those days are much more rare now. But I still enjoy crafting a method for my madness.

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And overtime I’ve developed a few strategies to the above that I want to share. I’m a practical woman, so my strategies tend to be practical as well.

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My goal is to give you a cheat-sheet to help you power through what I call the beginner blues or in my case the off days and emerge a stronger, more resilient writer. Deal?

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You may have heard of more popular phrase for this: Writer’s Block. We’ll cover that, but if you know me by now you know I like tap a little deeper.

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Mindset Shift in Writing

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I believe the very very first step on your writing journey should be a mindset shift. If you haven’t already there’s a few things you’ve got to dig up, dig out, add in, whatever. Right?

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You’ve got be disciplined. You need confidence. You need persistence, resilience, all these good things. You need a sustainable writing routine.

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When I became a ghostwriter I had learn all these things and sometimes the hard way.

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If possible avoid the hard way and heed my words. 😉

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(If you're here ^^ I recommend grabbing my mini workshop on how to start building these skills)

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The quicker you learn these things, the easier of a time you’ll have as a writer. In another editorial I wrote about choosing your hard…This is that.

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Red pill, Blue pill? (I have the matrix on in the background)

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A mindset shift can mean believing that your craft can improve with practice.

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To embrace challenges as opportunities to grow and so on. (Such as this) so instead of squandering the moment immediately, and walking away from your draft for another 6 months, another year to try a different approach. I'll go over these approaches soon.

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I say all of that ^ to say…. a this can make a difference when writing feels impossible.

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Ideas Running Dry

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Ideation is touted as one of the easier parts of writing because… ideas are a dime a dozen. Everyone has a story idea they want to write…only a percentage of them actually write it.

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This is partially because the craft of writing and being good at it goes beyond ideation. It’s why an idea or scene sounds great in your head but paper it’s not lining up.

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The other half is because a story idea doesn’t equal chapter ideas, scene ideas, resolution ideas, middle ideas, character ideas, setting ideas, and so on.

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I had an idea for a short story about a cocky L.A. cop who ends up befriending a vampire and helping them flee the city before sunrise.

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Maybe something could have come of it, maybe I’ll write it someday, and make it story ready. But when I originally sat down to write it, I struggled getting past that initial idea.

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…and this led to feelings of frustration, even dread.

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So what did I do?

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Well that idea in particular wasn’t a favorite. Remember ideas are a dime a dozen. I had several other ideas I preferred writing.

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But when I have an idea must write, I try a few things.

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Input Fuels Output

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Some may recommend against, reading while you’re writing. In theory yes, and especially when you’re a beginner and still soaking up information and defining your writing voice — it can be easy to sound like someone you’re not, or “borrow” ideas that aren’t yours.

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But I also believe *this* is as good a time as ever to start practicing how to filter through that. Eventually you’ll want to be able to read a book and take away the parts you need to while not letting it entirely change your voice or your story.

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With that, I recommend stepping away and reading. (Watching, listening work as well) The goal here is to be inspired. Engaging in stories, no matter the medium can help spark new ideas, provide fresh perspective or fuel that muse.

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My last editorial was on how reading is non-negotiable. This is why.

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If you’re already making a habit of reading intentionally, this is less likely to happen. And when this does happen. I always ask myself “when the last time you read like a writer, Blair” Tsk Tsk. 🙃

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• Use this Moment to Read OUTSIDE your zones: Diversify your reading list with fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and if you're feeling a little brainy — scientific/historical journals.

• Read Like A Writer - Read for Inspiration: Don't just passively read; engage with the material. Take notes, highlight passages that resonate with you and your story.

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Write It Ugly

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I love saying this, because it has become one of most monumental strategies of pushing through a block. Like most things, this is an acquired skill. Most of us will want to edit while we’re writing, and that’s generally okay for grammar mistakes.

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Trying to rearrange the entire chapter — mid sentence can lead to problems. Namely, being stuck.

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I nix this in a certain way:

I had to teach myself to turn off my left brain when drafting. I’m talking stepping away from my desk for a few moments to avoid a sneaky edit. Eventually, I was able to not care. I tell myself that this is a draft. The only people that will see this or me, and possibly my editor. (Even then my editor will get a spruced up version) Instead I choose to save that energy for when it’s needed.

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All of this works to relieve some pressure. It ain’t nothing but a few deletes away so write it.

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Better Outlining

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I also place a certain importance on my outline. I have Danielle Steel to thanks for this method of doing a chapter by chapter outline.

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This really allows me to step back and see the entire story.  Spot the problems before I start writing.

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She also sends her outline to an editor. It’s not something I currently do but I see the benefits and I can see myself doing that in the future.

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I know some writers work better without an outline or a simpler outline. I also know myself well enough to know I’m very detail oriented. Seeing the chapters splayed out to me *in detail* is exactly my tea.

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Stepping Away

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I'm not against stepping away from your draft, but it always felt less practical to me. Still I recognize its benefits. I do it myself but its always my last option. So, If all else fails, archive it. Temporarily or for a season. I done this for a few different reason.

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Mostly if I’ve outgrown a story or completely lost interest. Other reasons include if a story needs an HGTV makeover. I’m not always equipped to do that with every story.

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Last if I’m really really stuck and I’ve exhausted all other measures.

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The thing about archiving and NOT deleting is that you can always come back to it. Even if the drafts I wrote at 19 are not what I fancy today, maybe I could rework it into something someday.

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That’s enough reason for me to hang onto it.

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If you’re feeling stuck stepping away for a day, or a week can give you some space to reframe things and perhaps tackle things at a different angle. I.e. What if instead of this happening one way, it happened another, and so on, and so on.

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Writing can be a beautiful, sometimes emotional journey. There’s days like today where creative writing takes the back seat. I still make a move to write daily, whether I’m journaling or writing to you all.

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These are the ways I handle writer’s block, self-doubt, perfectionism and the rest. I’d love to read over your strategies.

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Thanks for tuning in, check my authors note for further resources on this subject.

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