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Writer’s Block – Why It Occurs, How To Eliminate It
By Deb Gallardo
All writers dread it, that sinking feeling when writing ideas are distressingly absent. And once it happens, a deep-seated fear settles in — the fear that maybe your creativity well has dried up completely and you’ll never again produce another word of writing.
Creativity blockages are real enough, despite the pooh-poohing given such occurrences by prolific writers who’ve never experienced writer’s block themselves. But it isn’t only writers who suffer creative block. Anyone in the creative arts can be afflicted by it.
My friend and creativity expert Dan Goodwin addresses this issue in an article at Creativity Portal where you can also find a wealth of writing prompts to help you through a dry period. Here’s how Dan begins his article:
Creative block — or artist’s block — comes in many different forms, but they all have one thing in common: they stop you from creating what you’re capable of creating and what you long to be creating…. You feel like there’s so many ways you’re blocked, that even if you manage to fix one, there’ll be another dozen others that pop up in its place and stop you dead in your tracks again.
Dan says that the problem lies in what he calls “creative resistance,” in other words all those unproductive, fearful, blockage-inducing thoughts swirling around in our heads. These thoughts manifest themselves as fear of never again being able to create anything new, fear that you’ll leave yet another project unfinished, voices from your past that say you have no talent or you’re worthless, or (perhaps worse) listening to your inner critic who tells you that you’re just an impostor.
The positive intention behind all your creative resistance is to keep you safe and protected…. Once you’ve acknowledged this resistance and told it quite clearly that you’re going to carry on creating anyway, you see the whole dynamic of being blocked in a new light.
He suggests that we tell our creative resistance that our need to create is just as strong as our need to breathe, and that we will continue to create in spite any and all resistance. Try writing a note to your resistance (This isn’t as silly as it sounds, given how serious being blocked can be.) or look yourself in the eye in front of a mirror. Remember to thank this resistance for trying to protect you, but firmly declare that you must create. In time, Dan says the swirling thoughts will diminish and eventually disappear.
To read Dan’s article, go to Creative Block: Why You Don’t Create More and How to Turn it Around (Opens in new window) Other articles on The Story Ideas Virtuoso featuring the expertise of Dan Goodwin:
Creativity: Be All That You Can Be
Creativity-Your Inner Critic Has to Go
Creative Writing: 7 Habits of Highly Creative People
Related Posts
- Creativity – Your Inner Critic Has to Go!
- Creativity – Be all That You Can Be
- Your Inner Critic — 5 Steps to Muzzling that Destructive Inner Voice
1 Comment »
March 26th, 2010 at 2:38 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Deb Gallardo, Word Girl. Word Girl said: Enjoyed @debgallardo's post on getting rid of writer's block. Tell ur "creative resistance" thanks but no thanks. http://bit.ly/aNlWob [...]