Recently, I read a
book called The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker. The book
follows the protagonist Marcus Goldman, a famous writer, suffering from a
terrible case of writer’s block. Though the book is not about writer’s block, the
problem plays a major role in the plot. I often get inquiries about writer’s
block and how to overcome writer’s block. I have been stalling
writing about this because overcoming writer’s block can be a challenge.
Moreover, some writers don’t even agree that this problem even exists. So, I
thought of not writing about writer’s block, writer’s block symptoms,
and writer’s block causes. But then because of the growing demand, I thought of
biting the bullet.
Before getting
started, let me introduce myself quickly. I am Anasua Ghosh. I am
the author of three published novels. In my spare time, I offer writing
coaching and mentoring to aspiring writers. Also, I am an avid reader and a
life coach. You can find my recently published novel Kingdom Of Clay Book 1 on
Amazon. KOC is a high fantasy trilogy which follows the theme of dark magic.
With that being said, let’s talk about how to overcome writer’s block.
Writer’s Block Symptoms
Well, the major writer’s
block symptom is not being able to write. I believe it is the most terrible and
common symptom. Other symptoms can be anxiety, worry, nausea, and headache.
Sometimes writers lose appetite when they fail to write. I am not sure about
any other writer’s block symptoms.
Causes Of Writer’s Block
While discussing the
causes of writer’s block, we will deal with the question – how to
overcome writer’s block. The key causes of writer’s block are –
Cause One - Lack Of Character Development
Your characters are
your stories. Therefore, if you don’t know about your characters, you are
setting yourself up for a block. Even if you are writing a plot-driven story,
you need to develop your characters to drive your plot forward.
The Cure
To overcome this
problem, you need to spend time with your characters. You need to know
everything about them. Even if you don’t use everything in the story, as the
creator of the characters, you should get deeper and find out everything about
the people who will be featured in your book. A character sketch or profile
will help you here. The more you know about your characters, the better you
will tell their stories. So, don’t skip this part.
Cause Two - Trend Following
Sometimes writers try
to follow the trend to sell more books. This is a sure way to walk into a
block. If you are a romance writer but want to write a high fantasy because it
is in trend, you may write yourself to a corner and never come out.
The Cure
Write what you love –
is the only advice I can impart. If you like romance - write romance. If you
like fantasy – write fantasy. Don’t follow the trend. It does not work.
Cause Three – Pantsing
Well, I have
considered myself to be a pantser once. I even bragged about writing without a
roadmap. I used to sit and bang words down on the papers. It was fun. It was
daring. It was romantic. Until it pushed me towards dead ends multiple times. I
failed to write a single book pantsing. Then I realized that I should be a safe
driver and create a roadmap first. So, writing without an outline can be a
cause of writer’s block.
The Cure
To know how to
overcome writer’s block, you should know how to create book outlines first.
I agree that it is not romantic and at times the process seems too technical.
But to avoid the pitfall of writer’s block, you should give the outline a
try.
Lastly, there are
other ways to overcome writer’s block. If you are writing the same genre for a
long time, you may find yourself blocked. In that case, switching genres helps.
My humblest request is to go easy on yourself if you are going through a block.
Don’t beat yourself up for not being able to write. Always remember that
– this too shall pass.
With this, I am going
to wrap it up. I will be back with more on writing, till then write and have
fun.
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