What is Writer's Block?
Writer’s block is the feeling of not being able to come up with anything to write when staring at a blank page or screen. For blog writers, writer’s block is a big problem, since every day, you have to be at the top of your game. In blogging, readers are expecting material in a much more compressed time frame (Leitch 2008). For a blog, time is not on your side, making the lack of inspiration all the more troubling.
Book writers can also experience writer’s block. However, a book has a much longer time scale and allows for putting the material aside to work on later. Unlike blogging, here time is on your side or at least you have plenty of it.
If you are experiencing writer’s block, be aware that all writers, blog and print, have had it (Taylor 2009). Getting into the “writing world” or mindset can be as hard as the writing itself (McPhee 2013). All this begs the question, How do you get past the blank page, which can be the hardest part of writing (McGowan 2005). What do you do when your muse takes a vacation or is missing in action? Below I will discuss some of the forms, causes, and possible solutions to writers block.
Different Forms of Writer's Block
Generally there are two types of writer’s block that can impact any writer. These include:
- Lack of Motivation/External Distractions: These can range from procrastination, feeling overwhelmed or external distractions that cause a loss of focus. Some of these causes of writer’s block can attributed to a temporary depression, while the mere act of writing when not in block mode can heighten the mood (Flaherty 2003).
- Writing Anxiety: Sometimes writers have a fear of judgment, self-doubt, or their own perfectionism gets in the way of them writing a great piece (Todd 2016).
Causes of Writer's Block
- Topic Fatigue: Bloggers can get burnt out in their particular niche and need a fresh perspective. This is why I tell my clients and others that you need to have, not only an interest in your subject, but also a passion for it. Without both, topic fatique will be a frequent and unwelcome friend and you will not have the energy to power through.
- Lack of Research: Not having enough information or experience about the topic at hand can lead to a lack of direction. In fact, writer’s block to professional writers, is defined as not having mastery over the subject (Epstein 2004). Be sure to research the topic first or build upon other subject written about in the past in order to ensure sufficient mastery. This way you can always stay “on the rails” and not derail.
- Comparisonitis: There are a lot of other bloggers and it is easy to look at others and say, wow, they seem to be doing the craft much better than I am. However, remember, you are only competing against yourself as you offer a unique perspective and opinion. People read your work because they like your work. If you are just beginning, you need to remember that the ones that are successful have probably failed a number of times. In addition they were once at the same point you are a looked up at the successful ones.
Solutions to Writer's Block
When you have writer’s block, what do you do? Below are some tips in overcoming a common hurdle in blogging.
Rethink Your Approach for Old Blog Posts
- Repurpose Old Content: Take a look at writing your have done in the past. Perhaps there is a post that can be freshened by new data that has come since it was published or there have been changes in the thinking. Breathing new life into old content, also called “generative revision” or “non-zero-sum revision” (Yuon 2023), can be accomplished by:
- Updating outdated information with fresh data and statistics.
- Expanding on a popular topic with a more in-depth guide or taking two similar topics and combining them together into a more comprehensive resource.
- Offering a new perspective on a familar topic.
- Look for External Inspiration: Take a walk or participate in blogging communities to get ideas from others. Try different prompts (not AI prompts) such as writing about any old subject, observing art, or reading the works of others to break through the block (Taylor 2009). A list of writing prompts can be on the Toasted Cheese website.
- Frame Your Content Through a Different Lens: Like a camera, sometimes changing the lens can result in a totally different image. Ways you can change you writing “lens” include:
- Turn a listicle into a step-by-step guide.
- Craft a data-driven post into an infographic or video.
- Interview an expert and present it as a Q&A.
- Information on writing content can be found on this blog post.
- Write a Post in a Different Voice, Tone, or Style
- Writing a post in a different voice, be it conversational or formal can change the overall focus and tenor of the post.
- Change the overall focus by telling the information in a first-person narrative, another person, or a character’s point of view.
Getting inspiration for New Blog Posts
Above we talked about how to produce blog content by freshening or repurposing old blog posts. However, what if we are just starting out or are trying to produce a post on an entirely new subject? Below are some ideas to accomplish this if we are having trouble with writer’s block.
Just Write or Get out to a New Environment
- Freewriting: Give freewriting a try (Nones 2012). This is where you write anything that comes to mind without editing or thinking about what it is. Just allow the ideas to come out, similar to brainstorming. Write for at least 5-10 minutes or longer if inclined and then see what is there. There may be some content present that you can get inspiration from.
- Change Your Environment or Surroundings: As stated above, taking a walk for a change of scenery, can result in breaking the writer’s block. Alternatively, take your laptop or paper to a coffee shop, a library, light a scented candle (McLellan 2010), or go to a park. If nearby, you could go to a scene in your writing (Tapply 2005). When you get back, you may be impressed with the ideas that come through.
- Adjust to a More Comfortable Position: Sometimes you write better in a comfortable chair. For me, it is often enough to switch from my office chair to my Poang chair and use my bluetooth keyboard.
- Listen to Music: As Phillip Depoy writes, listening to music can serve as an inspiration for ideas (Depoy 2018).
- Set a Lower Short-Term Goal: During an episode of writer’s block set a lower short-term goal that can be acheived, which can then inspire confidence (Belkin 2002).
- Just take a Break: Sometimes just not producing any content can help rebuild the creative juices and allow new ideas to come forth (Crawford 2002).
Watch or Browse Related Content to Your Subject
- Listen to podcasts, audiobooks, or YouTube videos on your niche.
- Watch a documentary or TED talk on your subject and look for inspiration or a new viewpoint.
- Browse social media related to your topic and see what is trending or what people are talking about.
- Read a book related or even not related to your topic to get ideas that you may not have even thought about.
- Look at a selection of images related to your topic and try to write a post around an image or a group of images.
Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Inspiration and Ideation
When I first started blogging, I had to all use all of the points previously discussed above when I encountered writer’s block. However, today, bloggers and other writers can use AI for ideas and inspiration in their posts. Notice, I said for “ideas and inspiration”, not for copying verbatim. You still want to write in your own unique and not someone elses or a machine’s style. To leverage the best of AI, try to find prompt generators in order to direct the model and help you write.
Other places to Look for Blogging inspiration
- Inspiration from Your Audience: Look for questions or comments in common among your audience and try to answer them comprehensively with a blog post.
- Do Some Reaearch: Identify what is popular or look to current events in your niche and offer a unique perspective to them based on your experience.
- Keep a Log of Your Ideas: You never know when an idea might hit you. Be sure to write the ideas down in a journal or an “idea book” (Tyler 2007) so they do not recede into the “sands of fogotten memories.”
- Collaborate with Other Bloggers: Guest post on other blogs or interview other bloggers to get ideas that you can use in your own blog.
Conclusion
By following the suggestions above, hopefully you can overcome writer’s block and have more time producing great writing. Those who do writing as a profession know that you have good days and bad days and that it is a cycle that will come around (Toor 2014). Good luck with your writing and may you have many works ahead of you.
References
- Belkin, Lisa. 2002. How to jump-start a napping muse. The New York Times 151 (52046): March 3, 2002.
- Crawford, Walt. 2002. Give me a break! EContent 25 (4): 42-43.
- Depoy, Phillip. 2018. Interview with Phillip Depoy. Dramatist 21 (1): 14-99.
- Epstein, Joseph. 2004. Writing on the Brain. Commentary 117 (4): 37-41.
- Flaherty, Alice Weaver. 2003. Writing Like Crazy: a word on the Brain. Chronicle of Higher Education 50 (13): p. B6.
- Leitch, Will. 2008. Writing a Book? Piece of Cake…at least compared to blogging. Publishers Weekly 255 (3): 176.
- McGowan, Kristy. 2005. Blocking the Block. Footsteps 7 (2): 30.
- McLellan, Drew. 2010. How to break writer’s block. Des Moines Business Record 28 (12): 26.
- McPhee, John. 2013. Draft No. 4. New Yorker 89 (11): 32-38.
- Nones, Rachelle. 2012. Unblocking Writer’s Block. Muse’s News. 15 (1): 5.
- Tapply, William. 2005. Get yoursel unstuck: How going to ‘the scene of the crime’ for color and detail helps a veteran novelist when his writing stalls. Writer 118 (9).
- Taylor, Marilyn. 2009. Writing Prompts to get you on a roll: These techniques from free-writing to composing a ‘bad’ poem – will boost creativity. Writer 122 (10).
- Todd, Lily. 2016. A Bit of Fantasy. Plateau Area Writers Quarterly Mar2016 p. 17.
- Toor, Rachel. 2014. The Habits of Highly Productive Writers. Chronicle of Higher Education 61 (12): P. A24 – A25.
- Tyler, Barbara A. 2007. Idea Generator: An A-to-Z Guide to Churning Out Topics for Your Next Freelance Article. Writer 120 (1).
- Youn, Monica. 2023. Generative Revision: Beyond the Zero-Sum Game. Sewanee Review 131 (2): 377-406.
