Writer's block

Writer’s block is most often defined as a condition in which a writer is unable to produce new work. However, the term is also used to describe other situations such as creative dry spells, a writer’s inability to produce writing that is publishable, or a student’s inability to write a term paper. A writer experiencing the condition may not be able to write at all or may be blocked on only one kind of writing. It is not uncommon, for example, for a writer to be unable to write fiction yet be able to churn out articles and essays. Writer’s block can last from a few hours to many years.

For professional writers, writer’s block is a serious condition. Since writing is their main form of communication, being unable to write makes them feel as if they are rendered silent. The condition is debilitating and affects both a writer’s income and way of life.

While writers throughout history have been blocked, the condition was not officially recognized until 1947. Various techniques have been used to overcome writer’s block, such as free-writing and journaling. For more serious cases and to treat underlying disorders, therapy and medications are sometimes prescribed. These include antidepressants and stimulants such as Ritalin.

Background

The term “writer’s block” was coined in 1947 by Edmund Bergler, an Austrian psychiatrist living in New York. A follower of Sigmund Freud, Bergler theorized that the condition was caused by an oral masochism (deriving pleasure from one’s pain) and a lack of breast milk from one’s mother.

However, writers prior to the twentieth century have suffered from this affliction, which they sometimes referred to as “being blocked.” The English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge had one of the first documented cases of writer’s block in 1804. Coleridge produced his best work in his mid-twenties and then lamented his inability to write after this.

Many famed writers have confessed to struggling with writer’s block. Among them is F. Scott Fitzgerald who was reportedly blocked in the 1920s after the publication of the novel This Side of Paradise. Harper Lee was also apparently unable to write fiction after the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird in 1964. (Lee wrote the novel Go Set a Watchman, published in 2015, before To Kill a Mockingbird.) Lee quipped that she was unable to write because she had 300 personal friends who dropped by throughout the day for coffee. Even the prolific writer Stephen King admitted to occasionally grappling with a block lasting weeks or even months.

Overview

Experts do not believe that writer’s block has a single cause but rather has many causes, some external and others internal. They also contend that the reasons for writer’s block vary from writer to writer. Distractions, physical illnesses, financial pressures, and perfectionism can all cause writer’s block.

Stress is a common cause of writer’s block. In her book The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer’s Block, and the Creative Brain, neurologist Alice W. Flaherty explains that when under stress, the brain switches control from the cerebral cortex to the limbic system, which is more concerned with instincts such as the flight-or-fight response than creativity. Because of this, stress can cause a writer to suffer a creative dry spell.

Yale University psychologists Jerome Singer and Michael Barrios conducted a landmark study on writer’s block in the 1970s and 1980s. The psychologists gathered together writers of many different genres, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the writers were blocked but others were not. Singer and Barrios repeatedly interviewed the writers and conducted psychological tests. After a month of research, they concluded that the blocked writers were unhappy; some suffered from depression and anxiety. They tended to be very critical of themselves and lacked pride in their work.

Singer and Barrios noticed that the unhappy writers differed in some ways. Some were depressed and anxious, others were mostly irritated, some were hostile, and still others were apathetic and disengaged. However, the psychologists noted that the blocked writers all lacked motivation and ambition and did not find writing enjoyable.

The psychologists had some success treating those suffering from writer’s block with directed mental imagery exercises. They had the writers sit in a dimly lit, quiet room and write in response to ten prompts. The prompts asked them to visualize something, such as a piece of music, and write about it as if they were in a dreamlike state. Singer and Barrios did this for two weeks. Afterward, the writers reported feeling more positive and motivated to write again.

Other experts have successfully used dream diaries to help blocked writers. No one other than the writer reads a diary, so the writing is free from external judgment. This alleviates the pressure writers feel to produce high-quality work. Experts found that the very act of writing freely helps writers overcome their block.

Some bouts of writer’s block are short-lived and less serious than others. For these temporary blocks, experts recommend free-writing—putting a pen on paper or using a keyboard to write about whatever comes to mind. Reading and writing in a journal might also be helpful. Some writers find that exercise such as a brisk walk outdoors can help them become unblocked.

If writer’s block is caused by another condition, such as depression, anxiety, or ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) writers should seek treatment from a medical health professional. Therapy and medications have proven effective in some cases.

Bibliography

“Blocked.” The New Yorker, 14 June, 2004, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/06/14/blocked. Accessed 8 Oct. 2018.

Fassler, Joe. “I Don’t Believe in Writer’s Block.” The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2014, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/03/i-dont-believe-in-writers-block/284354/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2018.

Flaherty, Alice W. The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer’s Block, and the Creative Brain. Mariner Books, 2014.

Gibb, Alexandra. “A best-selling author reveals his 3 techniques to overcome writer’s block.” CNBC, 21 Aug. 2018, www.cnbc.com/2018/08/21/author-and-teacher-on-how-to-tackle-writers-block.html. Accessed 8 Oct. 2018.

Jamison, Kay Redfield. Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. Free Press, 1996.

Konnikova, Maria. “How to Beat Writer’s Block.” The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2016, www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/how-to-beat-writers-block. Accessed 8 Oct. 2018.

“On Writer’s Block: Advice from Twelve Writers.” The Paris Review, 19 Mar. 2018, www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/03/19/advice-from-12-famous-authors-on-writers-block/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2018.

Rice, Mae. “There Are 4 Types of Writer’s Block, According to Yale Research.” Curiosity, 11 Jul. 2018, curiosity.com/topics/there-are-4-types-of-writers-block-according-to-yale-research-curiosity/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2018.

“Writer’s Block: Causes, Symptoms, & Cures (Overcoming It). Mental Health Daily, https://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/10/04/writers-block-causes-symptoms-cures-overcoming-it/