Writer's block

For the album by Evergreen Terrace, see Writer's Block.

Writer's block is the phenomenon in which a writer temporarily loses the capability to continue writing. It is characterized by the loss of inspiration or confidence in creativity.

Origins of writer's block

Writer's block can be closely related to depression and anxiety, two disorders that reflect environmentally-caused or spontaneous changes in the brain's frontal lobe. This is in contrast to hypergraphia, more closely linked to mania, in which the changes occur primarily in the temporal lobe. These processes, and their implications for treatment, are described in neurologist Alice Flaherty's book The Midnight Disease. However, another interpretation of writer's block, sometimes confused with scant output, is given in the book, Silences, by Tillie Olsen, who argues that historically many women and working-class writers have been unable to devote themselves to, or concentrate on, their writing because their social and economic circumstances prevent them from doing so. It is widely thought that writer's block is part of a natural ebb and flow in the creative process.

Writer's block as a chronic problem

There have been cases where writer's block has lasted for years or decades. The most notable example of this in modern literary history was Henry Roth's writer's block which persisted for sixty years and was caused by a combination of depression, political problems, and an unwillingness to confront past problems. This kind of writer's block seems to be quite rare, and most writer's block lasts between an hour and a week.

Various strategies for overcoming writer's block

Some authorities have recommended the following to those suffering from writer's block:

Setting a time and write whatever comes to mind, without stopping, for that period of time.
Using writers' exercises. They use many websites that contain numerous creative writing exercises such as: The Screenwriter's Toolkit. Writers read an exercise, and do it.
Taking a break, meditating, or doing relaxation exercises to relieve any pressure on oneself and on the writing.
Doing something out of the ordinary. If writer's block comes from a lack of new ideas, attempts to spark creativity by going somewhere new or doing something different can be useful.
Returning to the writing after a lapse of a day or two.
Write a basic plot outline of the story from beginning, middle and conclusion if having problems to keep the story on the rails.
Write or type out a complete short story by one's favourite author. By the end of ten to twenty pages, the mind is properly engaged to again be creative.

Origins of writer's block

Writer's block as a chronic problem

Various strategies for overcoming writer's block

Dramatic depictions of writer's block

See also

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Writer's block

Origins of writer's block

Writer's block as a chronic problem

Various strategies for overcoming writer's block

Dramatic depictions of writer's block

See also