Dealing with Writer’s Block
Is Writer’s Block a Choice?
Dr. Stephen Covey wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People in 1989, and I recently picked it up for the first time in my life. One of the greatest takeaways for me is the recognition that in everything we do and everything we feel, we are making a choice. That means, yes, writer’s block is a choice.
In a class I recently attended with Susan Shapiro, she talked about a time when she complained to one of her mentors about having writer’s block. He responded, “Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block. Don’t be self-indulgent. Just wake up and get to work.”
Blunt as the statement is, her mentor wasn’t wrong. Being a writer is many things, and self-indulgent is one of them, particularly for those who are writing personal essays or memoirs. These formats demand that writers tap into their personal conflicts and failures and shape them into compelling stories to which readers can relate. What could possibly be more self-indulgent?
Still, being a writer is work, and just as anyone in any other profession must do, writers need to get up and get to work. Anything shy of that is procrastination and avoidance likely stemming from fear—the fear of a piece being rejected.
The Fear of Rejection
Writing is not my full-time job, but it is a passion that has long been a part of my life. When I was in 4th grade, I wrote my first book using blue construction paper and colored pencils to make stick figure drawings. The pages were bound together with string, and it earned me an A and many compliments from my teacher and parents. I wrote a book! And my little nine-year-old self was incredibly proud of that accomplishment. More than four decades later, I couldn’t tell you what the book was about, but I remember so vividly the feeling that completing the project evoked in me.
I love writing, but because I don’t rely on writing as a source of income, it’s easier to embrace procrastination. I often hide behind the excuse of writer’s block, giving myself permission to avoid doing the work. I justify my inaction with a variety of reasons—I have a full-time job, I have two kids, I’ve been rejected so many times it's pointless.
Evidenced in all of these excuses is the reality that I’m not actually suffering from a lack of ideas of what to write about. I’m self-indulgently procrastinating because I’m afraid of rejection. Much as I cook for praise, there is a part of me that also writes for praise, so I’m chasing that ‘high.’ As that nine-year-old did, I want to create something that I’m proud of and that others connect with or are somehow moved by. The fear of not accomplishing that often holds me back from writing anything at all.
Get to Work
Despite these bouts of ‘writer’s block,’ I do often put something down, even if it’s never read by another human being. Sometimes, I even pitch my ideas to different publications. I have oodles of Google docs filed away and an inbox filled with rejections.
Though the rejection letters can feel like affirmation of my fear that I’m inadequate or that I’m not really a writer, they are in fact evidence that I am committed to the craft. When I write, I have something that proves I’m a writer, so if I want to be a writer, I have to do the work. That’s why I have notebooks filled with morning pages. Apple’s Notes and Journal apps illustrate my attempts at capturing random thoughts and story ideas.
So I share with you, dear reader, the best advice any writer could ever hear: “Just wake up and get to work.” Set achievable goals for yourself. As Sue Shapiro says, “300 words a day is a book a year.” If writing three morning pages is unattainable for you, start with one page. Start with half a page. Get the words out there. They don’t need to be perfect, but you do need to do the work. We all do.