Less Common Reasons for Writer's Block

I just read the most ridiculous article on writer’s block. It was so infuriating, I had to write something about how wrong the author of the article was. I have written 26 novels in 27 years. I know all about how to write something and how to keep it going. I can write like I’m eating green eggs and ham, it’s raining, and a goat is making eyes at me. Here are some alternative reasons why you have writer’s block.

1. In your heart, you want to do something else.

For starters, you don’t have writer’s block because of where you are writing or because you haven’t set aside time for writing. If you think these are your problems, they might not be. You might actually be enjoying or prioritizing what you’re doing instead. You find time for what you really want, so you may want to watch Netflix and eat popcorn. You might want to make sure your kid has brushed their teeth. You might want to read that book instead of writing a book yourself. Do not let anyone make you feel bad for what you spent your time doing instead of writing. I never do.

2. You don’t write as well as you wish you did.

You might be unhappy with the gap between your expectations and your ability. I know this is a major problem for emerging writers. They imagine this amazing landscape in their head with these dramatic situations being played out by these dynamic characters, but when they take a break from their piece and return to reread it later… it doesn’t read back the way they wrote it. Their discouragement is paramount and they don’t feel like they can continue. If you can’t calm yourself down, analyze your mistakes, and learn to improve, you’re dead. I always tell people that my first 11 novels sucked and I only started to get the hang of it by novel 12. That pretty much kills their motivation, but that’s okay. They can refer to the first answer to the first reason you have writer’s block and DO THE THING YOU WANT TO DO MOST.

3. You want to write what you should be reading.

You have writer’s block because you have chosen to write about something you don’t know enough about. A lot of emerging writers confuse their interests with their talents. Writing is a really wide field. There are as many different kinds of writing as there are people. Just because you enjoy playing a steampunk video game doesn’t mean you know enough to crack out a whole novel on the subject. Write what you know about for a smoother experience. When I’m reading, I can always tell the difference between a subject matter that was researched for the purpose of the book and what the author knows from experience. The two processes read very differently.

4. No one told you there was no job.

You noticed a subject/premise that has been neglected by mainstream media and you think you can nail it. I promise you, there are reasons it’s never been done before and you are about to discover them. The writer’s block will hit hard. This happens with newbie writers all the time. It is usually accompanied by the notion that if they can get the story down, it will be so sensational that it will be a bestseller and take the world by storm. As I said before, a lot of unused premises are unused for a reason. The writer comes to one of the logical pitfalls the story presents and they’re dead.

5. It’s too late to be a model.

You are obsessed with having your name on a book cover and in the darkest part of your heart, you don’t actually want to write anything at all. I remember when I used to want my name on a book cover. I wanted it SO bad. My name is on a lot of book covers now and I gotta tell you… that is a double-edged sword. Yay for you! I hope there isn’t a typo in there that makes you want to slit your wrists. I hope your book wasn’t sent for mass distribution before someone caught it. I hope it wasn’t the lion/lino/loin mistake cause that’s a doozy. Listen up, having your name on the cover is part of the reason people have pen names because a sloppy book can go really badly, be a huge embarrassment, and a stain upon your name that may involve more people than just you. Don’t jump into it thoughtlessly. I hope you enjoy reading the same book 12 times in a row because if you want to publish a book someday, that’s in your future. Oh, and if reading your own book 12 times in a row becomes your new definition of hell, that’s a sign you shouldn’t publish it. Honestly, I could write a whole book on this subject of the vanity of an author and how it can backfire. Write because you like it, not because of some weird fame or credibility you hope to gain. If you’re not having fun, you shouldn’t be doing this.

I’ll do a collection of helpful hints to balance out the hellfire I just unleashed… mostly because the goat is looking at me funny.

1. Take it slow.

If you’re new to writing something longer than an essay, try to write something simple. Just try to get the words out until the end of the book and stop occasionally to see if you’re enjoying the process. After I had written one novel, even though it was a pile of turds, I never wanted to do anything else.

2. Be patient with yourself.

Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for being unproductive as a writer. Writing buckles up with literally every other activity there is. Just because you don’t have time today to write doesn’t mean you never will and what you did during the time you weren’t writing may be the key to the best writing you ever do in your life. And if you never get back to it, that’s fine too because you spent your life the way you wanted to and that’s cool.

3. Understand that the rewards for writing may not be what you imagine.

One time a woman told me, “You write because you love it.”

I looked at her oddly. I’m not sure that I do write because I love it. I write because it was what I was made to do. It came to me as naturally as breathing, and there is a huge list of abilities that didn’t come to me at all. When I am writing, I feel a kind of contentment that cannot be matched, but simultaneously, there are downsides. I get my face chewed off in book reviews sometimes. I get told that my characters are unlikeable (especially the ones that are closest to my personality), that I’m not sexy enough, that I made a few mistakes and should be cast into the fiery pit to teach all other authors who accidentally left two periods at the end of a sentence a lesson.. (Haha! That time it was intentional). Sometimes there isn’t much money and I’m told that money is a pretty good measuring stick for how valuable something is. But if there’s one thing I know, and I mean, one thing that I really know, with all my heart and soul… it’s how to avoid writer’s block.