By Barbara De Smedt

What is Writer's Block?

Is writer's block the inability to write? I don't think so. That would mean you can no longer wring a grocery list from your fingers, nor a 'caption' to your latest Instagram photo. Or, that, god beware, you won't be able to app "I love you" to your partner anymore. Or a "Are you going to go get some bread?" which might be more frequent.

Good. Your can so do write, there are no physical problems limiting that. So what is the problem? Here's what Wikipedia says: 

Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. This creative stagnation is not the result of lack of commitment or writing skills. The condition ranges from difficulty coming up with original ideas to not being able to produce a work for years. Writer's block is not measured only by the time that passes without writing. It is measured by the time that passes without productivity in the task at hand.

Or, to put it briefly: you can't get a letter written on the project in front of you, even though you are brimming with good intentions, have an extensive vocabulary and have the latest MacBook at your fingertips. So what is going on? Why is this happening to you? Well, for starters, you're not the only one: none other than author F. Scott Fitzgerald, composer Sergei Rachmaninoff and songwriter Adele had to do with it. The great Herman Melville even stopped writing altogether several years after Moby Dick.

The "disorder" was first described in 1947 by the Austrian psychoanalyst Edmund Bergler who claimed that writer's block was caused by by "oral masochism" (ummm? Is that what I think it is? ), mothers who bottle-fed (the fallen women!) and an unstable love life (isn't that the cause of all problems?). Later, the following challenges in a writer's life or career were associated with it: illness, depression, financial pressure or a sense of failure. That's already a little more close. Even the pressure to produce work can itself contribute to writer's block, think of the stress of a deadline getting closer and closer.

What are you doing about it?

A first step is to find out exactly what the problem is and find a solution to that. In my opinion, you cannot write if you are sick. Healthy mind, healthy body. Financial or other stress? Try to clear your head so you have room for ideas. When mine is too full, I go for a walk. Without music or podcast in my ears. 

The best ideas come when you're not at your computer. Sometimes it helps to just switch medium for a moment: close that laptop, take a notebook and a pencil and start penciling. It's very strange, but your brain works differently when you write by hand, try it! Another option: go out, walk around town for a day with a notebook in hand and observe what you see, who you see, what you hear. For example, write down bits of dialogue you overhear. Observe how people interact with each other. 

I often get the best ideas in the shower. Why? Because this is a routine act where I don't have to think. Just pay attention: do you have a set order in which you wash your hair and soap your body? Indeed. Because you don't have to think, your creative brain is given space. Ironing also helps, but I'm not a fan of that. Sorry.

Are you working on a manuscript and getting stuck? Don't know what to do next? Then dig a little deeper into the backstory of your characters, or try having another character tell the story. Ask yourself the question "What if..." and fill in, let your imagination run wild. Say out loud where the problem is, ask the question, "How can I solve this?" and answer it out loud as well. So do a mini brainstorm with yourself.

Sometimes it helps to be inspired by other writers. Read books in the genre you want to write, pay close attention to how the author works, take notes. One of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Gilbert, after the enormous success of Eat, Pray, Love suffered from massive writer's block caused by the fear of "the second book. After all, how could she ever match that first success? She gave an inspiring TED talk about it, well worth a look, and wrote Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear, a book that was very helpful to me myself when I was 'only' wrote.

And does it really not work? Then let it go. There is more to life than just writing. Live first, then the rest will take care of itself.