Is Writers' Block a Myth?

It’s supposed to be the plague of writers everywhere. Writers’ block—the deadly disease that makes you stare at a blank page for hours, without the slightest clue what to write. I’ve heard of this Writers’ Block. I’ve even known people who claim to have had it. I never get it myself.

Maybe this is because I’m a working writer. As a copywriter, I work under deadlines. I have to get a brochure or an article in to my employer within a certain amount of time, and if I don’t, I don’t get paid. That incentive will kill any budding tendency toward Writers’ Block, in my opinion.

Maybe it’s not fair to say this—I’m sure there are plenty of people for whom Writers’ Block is a debilitating condition. But in my opinion, Writers’ Block is a luxury for amateurs. When your next paycheck is riding on you coming up with something, you come up with something.

This isn’t to say I don’t run out of ideas. I definitely do. But I don’t spend hours staring at a blank page. If I’m not sure where to take the story next, I refine my outline a bit. I think about where the next scene is that I’m sure of—and try to figure out how to get from where I am to where I need to be. I start somewhere else—anywhere else—where the words flow easily. I try different things. And I don’t worry about it being perfect—because I know it won’t be.

Writers’ Block may not be a myth to some people. But the idea that you have to linger in it until some outside bolt of inspiration hits is a myth. There are so many things you can do to get yourself going again if you’re at a loss. Sit down at a coffee shop with one of your characters—and interview them about their situation and what happens next (you’d be surprised how frank your own characters will be with you). Skip ahead to the next scene you’re sure of, start anywhere—but start. You might frequently be clueless as to where to go next in your story, but in my opinion, allowing a state of Writers’ Block to linger is self-indulgent