Why Do We Get Writers Block ?
I write content for a living. Usually not my own, although more recently I have embarked upon a more personal blog, and that is definitely me stepping outside my box (read 'comfort zone'). Because the content I write is quite often driven by the needs of a client I rarely if at all hit the dreaded writers block. However I have noticed how much harder I find it to write about something so deeply personal, such as my journey with Breast Cancer. Part of the issue here is that there are some things I don't feel comfortable posting to my blog, for instance if it affects my family or friends. My whining that my phone pings incessantly and many forget that these days I can manage only 2 things (work and sleep), neither of which are conducive to responding via text to every well meaning enquiry, will only upset my thoughtful supporters. Luckily they don't swing by this blog ! This in itself then becomes a writing restraint. The knowledge that I need to write something carefully so as not to hurt or offend somebody along the way is enough to shackle my hands to the chair upon which I sit and the whole topic becomes effectively defunct in my mind. In this respect it is probably better to be a tabloid journalist and at least sensationalise the process of hurting / damaging others in the quest to get that headline. It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it ! The process of writing my blog has brought me to wonder about writers block more than I perhaps otherwise would have. There is a plethora of information available on how to overcome it, and so I wont waste more of your time rinsing and repeating. But I'm less interesting in the "How To Overcome Writers Block" line and more interested in the "Why Do We Get Writers Block ? "When I first started out writing somebody advised me to write lots and allow myself the opportunity to start work on many different things, not just one project / topic / subject. As a newbie writer this made no sense to me. How would I ever finish anything ? However their advice turned out to be invaluable and as they had suggested to me initially, some things would prevail, some would fall by the wayside. This is certainly true. For example I have a whole book written, every last word is down. Yet it still sits in my To Do tray. Not because I don't have time or I don't think it is worth revisiting to do the editing. The problem there is that I don't have the mental energy at the moment to go back to it. I have a plethora of blog post titles listed still to be worked on and published. I have various projects burning which range from paid work for others, to work for myself which needs my attention. Yet today I feel unable to focus on other topics but can blaze across the keyboard at the speed of light here ? The reason for this for me is that I am distracted. I am juggling too many balls on a personal level to give anything my full attention. On other occasions I might lack inspiration, or find myself constrained by the expectations of a client. And lets not forget that even those who have undertaken some form of creative studying are very often not taught 'how to generate ideas', whilst they worry about turning out essays and work which will be graded by another (back to feeling constrained by a set of rules then?).
Many of the writers I know have busy minds. They often see and experience things which they need to get down on the page. They are incited by personal and world events and might often churn them over in their minds as their thoughts and opinions are processed. I think I might take the risk of saying here that there isn't a single writer out there who isn't guilty of being a full-time thinker. The brain isn't built to function on one level. It allows in and processes a host of information on a daily basis, it doesn't seem realistic to expect it to focus entirely on just one thing. My aspie daughter is in fact evidence of this to me. She is renowned for being uber focused. In fact she hates to be interrupted when she is doing anything. She obsesses with topics for a long ass time. There was little she didn't know about keeping marine fish by the time she was 7. She can still name dinosaurs that I've never even heard of. Her knowledge on paradigms is unsurpassable. But the fact is that over her 12 years her 'obsessions' have gradually leapt from one topic to another. I have come to realise that she will always have intense interests, but they will change from time to time and if it is that a mind that is meant to function on a level of obsession can and will change direction then it's not reasonable to expect that the rest of us wont either ?
I'm lucky enough to be able to say that I've never truly experienced writers block. I've hit walls on certain projects and moved away from them. I've lived through circumstances which have impeded my ability to work and needed to down tools completely. I've felt constrained by many different factors. I understand how debilitating it can feel to not be able to complete something we really want to complete, or in some instances even get off the starting block but quite often understanding the reasons why has been enough for me to see the solution. Even more often, moving along swiftly to something else which has been left simmering proves to be the solution.
Going back to the initial advice I was given when starting out writing. This morning I woke at the crack of dawn and was completely unable to finish a single piece of writing work. In fact most things I tried to focus on were quickly saved as drafts and left to simmer. That may be the case for an hour, a day or a week, but I will get back to them. Instead I'm here 'Writing about Writing', a post which is completely unplanned and unscheduled in terms of workflow, yet I'm content in the knowledge that I am still being productive. It may not be what I set out to do today, but I wont leave it behind worried that I am struggling to work, or concentrate, or dare I say it, Write ?!
