Writer's block: 4 tips to recover inspiration
The writer's block is one of the most unpleasant phenomena by which it can happen to most people who must write creatively with some frequency. In addition, it is a frustrating experience, since it creates the illusion that one is unable to advance in the least with the writing of the text, and this complicates things even more, creating a vicious circle.
It is clear that writer's block can not be solved in a matter of seconds, but there are certain strategies that can be used to maximize the chances of inspiration returning.
- Related article: "The psychology of creativity and creative thinking"
Why does the writer's block appear?
The writer's block is, as its name suggests, the phenomenon that occurs when someone who must write an original text (regardless of its extension) he is unable to write even a few paragraphs that comply with a minimum of internal coherence or interest.
It is, in short, the lack of concrete ideas from which to start to write something. A person may be more or less clear about what they want to talk about, but the words simply do not flow. It can happen even in the most creative people, since inspiration is something deeply contextual, it does not arise individually from within each one. The environment, what is being done and what is being thought about what is being done, are elements that influence a lot.
Usually, writer's block it's something that is based a lot on suggestion and in the phenomenon known as self-fulfilling prophecy: the fact of thinking about what is happening and categorizing it as a blockade makes the problem a little more complicated, since this affects the feeling of self-efficacy and causes a certain anxiety to appear. finish by claiming the attention that should be destined to the creative.
Therefore, we must be clear that the writer's block may be due to many things, but it is never due to the impossibility of writing something creative or original: this is something that can be done by practically anyone with cognitive abilities not affected. The problem is not in the lack of things to say, but in other things that have to do with two parallel processes: the lack of referents, and the distractions.
Tips for recovering inspiration
It is something that qualitatively differentiates itself from the rest of the difficulties that have to do with writing. If you are tired, you write slower; if you do not have time, you think about what you are going to write or take notes here and there, but if the writer's block appears, practically nothing is advanced when trying to get creative .
Thus, where this type of blockade occurs there is an inability to have a good starting point from which a text can be split. The efforts to solve this must be focused on providing this fundamental support that, once overcome, gives way to a phase in which writing is much easier. Let's see several guidelines to follow.
1. Decide your strategy: gardener or architect
According to the famous writer George R. R. Martin, there is two types of writers: architects and gardeners . The first ones plan first the fundamental structure of what they want to explain and then they put it into words, and the second ones start with a narrative element and, from that, they develop a text, very spontaneously, based on what they is suggesting what they write.
Being clear which of these two strategies is part is very useful. Choose one and be faithful to it, since otherwise the simple doubt about which to follow will make you lose more time and frustrate you more.
2. Look for lack of motivation
It is possible that part of the writer's block you experience is because what you think you are going to write does not motivate you, so the desire to face that creative challenge does not arise spontaneously, since it requires a certain amount of effort. If so, look for small elements that do interest you and that you think they can fit well and enrich the text, and include them, or make one of them part of that "start" for the first lines.
3. Postpone your perfectionism and write (almost) anything
You can not be a perfectionist with something that does not exist because it has not been created yet. However, the effects of an excess of perfectionism do make themselves felt before starting to write: concretely, it makes the beginning more difficult. That's why it's good reduce the minimum quality required for the first lines .
Probably what emerges will be very imperfect, but at least it will already provide a basis for building the rest of the text.Even if nothing that is created in the first writing session survives the end of the creative process, it will have had great value.
- Maybe you're interested: "Perfectionist personality: the disadvantages of perfectionism"
4. Disconnect completely
Another option is to stop obsessing with writing and doing anything else, especially if it is relaxing and in an environment where it is easy to disconnect. In this way the anguish over the writer's block will diminish, and it will be easier to face this task in the future.
