All writers at one point on their literary journey will discover writer’s block. It might take moments to pass, it might take days but one thing everyone can agree on, is that it can be difficult to shift. It can feel like moving a boulder with your bare hands and the worst part? You can physically waste your days trying to move it. After being in this situation myself, I couldn’t help but question what writer’s block is and is it really there.
I reflected on when I would get writer’s block and how I felt about it. Yes, it was annoying but I just thought if I don’t know what to write about then what’s the point. Then there’s that advice:
‘you must write everyday to become a good writer.’
At times I felt like pulling my hair out when I read this in author’s interviews and writing books. How can you write everyday when you don’t know what to write about? I mean, hey, it’s not as if I didn’t want to write, I just could never find the right topic or the right beginning. When I looked again at my reaction to writing, I realised that saying, “I can’t, I have no inspiration,” or “If I write now it will just be rubbish,” was just a form of procrastinating my writing.
After much realisation, I wondered why I procrastinated so much when writing was something I loved. One word: doubt. I never believed that my writing would be good enough and didn’t dare put pen to paper. Until now.
Writing can give you a voice in ways that can be difficult to imagine. It can move people, change societal values and challenge your views of the world. All, may I add, from daring to start writing and expressing yourself. So my answer as to whether writer’s block is fact or fiction is simple. Writer’s block can feel like a real issue, stopping you from writing. However in reality, writer’s block is fiction. It only occurs when you doubt your own writing style or technique. Think about it, when does it occur with you? Next time you start to get a case of writer’s block, remind yourself of your talents and write through that block. How you ask?
Believe in the writer you know you are, that’s how.
Originally posted on medium.com , feel free to check out my account here
Charlotte Anne Barker 