The Myth of Writer's Block
wordsfromeliza.com
The Myth of Writer's Block
Writer’s block is the biggest myth out there. The idea that you’re just lost for any possible words isn’t some vague illness that strikes people when they’re trying to be creative. You’re not missing the words; you’re missing the research. All ideas are combination of preexisting ideas. So if you’re “out” of new ideas it’s probably because you don’... See more
Jean added
There’s kind of a mantra in journalism that you don’t actually have writer’s block, you’re just not done reporting. I think that that’s true for every kind of writing. Sometimes you try to write an essay and you’re getting blocked and blocked and blocked, and the problem isn’t that you have writer’s block; it’s that you haven’t fully emotionally pr... See more
Maria Potoroczyn added
You don’t have writer’s block. You’re just scared to say what you actually think. As my friend Jeremy Giffon says: “The best writing prompt for when I'm stuck is simply ‘be more honest.”
David Perell • 31 Ways to Improve Your Writing
Journalist Sebastian Junger reframed the idea of being blocked: “It’s not that I’m blocked. It’s that I don’t have enough research to write with power and knowledge about that topic.”
Dan Mall • Dan Mall’s 10 Principles for a Worthy Design Career | Figma Blog
A creative block isn’t a wall at the dead-end of an alley. It’s a bridge under construction, that needs to be built to move forward.
To build the bridge you need the right materials and the tools. Look forthe materials by diving into research, gather the tools - mental models, physical ones, change your technique.
As you prepare and work, you find that the bridge appears before you like it was always there.
By journaling without constraint, writer’s block ceases to exist. Even if it turns out you can’t use much or anything you’ve written in your current work, it’s gotten you writing. It’s helped loosen you up.
Phillip Lopate • Writers and Their Notebooks
Lael Johnson and added
The thing about writer’s block is that it’s really just us feeling hesitation about our start. We feel afraid, maybe, because we don’t know what to say or how to say it, and whatever does come out may be something people hate. It may be embarrassing. It may be really bad. The good news is, that’s what editing is for. Writer’s block is basically fea
... See moreKevin Tumlinson • 30-Day Author: Develop a Daily Writing Habit and Write Your Book in 30 Days (or Less) (Wordslinger 1)
No one ever gets talker's block. No one wakes up in the morning, discovers he has nothing to say and sits quietly, for days or weeks, until the muse hits, until the moment is right, until all the craziness in his life has died down. Why then, is writer's block endemic?