In my last article, I delved into some ways of dealing with mild writer's blocks. By 'mild,' I mean blocks that span from a few hours to a few days, at most. If you find yourself unable to write, concentrate on writing, or come up with coherent ideas for more than a few weeks, you may have a serious case of a writer's block.
I know, I've had it. I took a year out from writing (I was studying literature at University at the time) and switched courses to escape the pressure. I switched to acting, and even though I am very passionate about it, I see now that part of my decision was the fear of failure as a future writer that most people who are serious about this craft feel at one point or another. Long story short, in the end, I came back and finished the creative writing and literature course, and I haven't had any block-related problems ever since, so I'm glad I can share my reflections on this problem with you.
When considering such an unpredictable profession as writing, there are never any guarantees. You may write ten manuscripts and none of them will ever get published, or you may have a brilliant idea, develop skills, and write a best-seller. Considering that even deciding on becoming a writer is a risk, there is a chance that you will experience fear of failure. You may have been told that you are not good enough, or that others are better and you won't be able to catch up, or that nobody reads anymore, so why write? You may have had a manuscript, or even a poem rejected, which made you doubt your own skills. Or, maybe you don't know anyone who successfully makes a living by writing. Each of these may be a reason for a block. In order to overcome it, you need to find the reason you fear writing. Make yourself a cup of tea, relax, meditate, go for a walk, travel, do whatever you need to do and think about your reason. Bruno Schultz once said that 'the unnamed does not exist for us.' Once you find where the root of the problem lies, you will be able to overcome it. Your fear may spring from something very small like a single comment someone once made. I remember someone telling me (years ago) that writers didn't make any money, so I wouldn't make a dime. Why do I remember this particular comment? I don't know, but once I found that that comment made me anxious about the financial side of writing, I was able to move on because I realised that it was just someone's opinion. I therefore did not have to believe it. It was never my thought to begin with. Detaching myself from it meant taking the first brick out of the wall I'd hit, and the light shone through again.
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