Struggling with Writer's Block? Here's How to Beat it!
As writers and creatives, we always approach our creative process with the best of intentions. Our prerogative is to explore the inner depths of our creativity to the point where those many facets of our originality become something else entirely; an innovation more abundant than just ourselves. At times when that creative drive is halted, it's easy to lose sight of that potential. The pen is to the paper, the desire to write is present, but there's something that stops us as creatives from reaching our abilities– this is what we call writer's block.
When we reach this wall, so to speak, a lot of us plunge directly into the agitation with full force. So often we revert to immediately trying to fix it, thinking we can research our way out of the seemingly endless hole of self-doubt through studies, resources, techniques and tools. It’s interesting, perhaps, that we never really spend the time to look at what the root cause of the writer's block is. I mean, how can it possibly be elsewhere when the hindrance started within ourselves?
That often requires us to dig deep. We have to stand face-to-face with our creative mind and inner-self and really access what the problem is behind the resistance we are feeling.
As someone who believes in and teaches conscious filmmaking, I’m most interested in exploring the root cause as a means to understand the block rather than focus on the possible solutions. Our creative potential is likely inhibited by something within us that we have to confront in order to move forward. That is the question: what is it?
What is the pull that is holding you back?
Is it the feeling of self doubt that you aren’t good enough?
Is it this mental ticking clock– this feeling of pressure that you have to produce or you’re wasting valuable time? Is your block therefore driven out of an anxiety from that pressure?
Or, could it just be that there's such a high expectation; are you feeling this necessity to meet others' standards in your performance during this time?
It even could be from fear of failure, which, ultimately is not all that different from the fear of success that might be stopping you.
I want to encourage filmmakers and creatives, writers and aspiring artists, to choose to sit with themselves in these moments. Instead of focusing on the fact that you feel stopped, ask why you feel that way. Spend some quiet time with yourself to search for your root reason– what is the cause of your writer's block?
A filmmaker in our community shared a very interesting article I highly suggest you read, that really tackles this issue, validating the internal conflict that goes on within the artist while then supplying the types of questions you should be asking yourself in that moment of quiet. By asking the right questions, you can move through it. Learning yourself and what that process looks like for you as an individual will not only help you tackle the immediate writer's block, but will hopefully it will appear less often or you will get past it quicker in future work. It strengthens us, as an artist all around, to look at it as a way to grow rather than a problem that needs a solution.
As you grow, so does your work, as does your career.
And if you're interesting in learning more about the magical intersection where personal development, mindset, and filmmaking all meet to create magnetism towards accomplishing your filmmaking goals, then check out our Conscious Filmmaking courses!
Happy writing!
Article Citation:
Popova, Maria. “Kafka’s Creative Block and the Four Psychological Hindrances That Keep the Talented from Manifesting Their Talent.” The Marginalian, 20 Oct. 2024, www.themarginalian.org/2024/10/20/kafka-diaries-self-doubt/?mc_cid=96927c9b53&mc_eid=fc728948c7.
