Birchard Books
Bill Birchard—Writing and Book Consultant
BILL'S BLOG ON WRITING
What's your block?
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Have you ever noticed how, when people talk about “writer’s block,” they seem to be referring to a single thing. But if you listen closely, you realize they are talking about many things?
“Writer’s block” is like “the flu.” It is a catchall phrase. It is also like the flu in that the only way to treat it is to find what variety of block you actually have.
For the fun of it, I’ve put together a taxonomy of writer’s block. This is partly for fun, but you can see I’m also trying to make a point: Diagnose the block correctly and you can move faster to recovery.
| BLOCK-LIKE ILLNESS | Thinker’s block | Writer’s block | Procrastination | Energy block | Distraction block | Priority block |
| DEFINITION | I don’t know what to say (Argument is not distinct enough to state clearly) | I don’t know how to say it (Message is clear but precise words escape me) | I can’t bring myself to work (Task feels daunting. Perhaps you’re fearing failure) | I don’t have energy (Can’t summon mental horsepower to write) | I don’t have bandwidth (Other tasks and diversions drain available mental power) | I don’t have commitment (Unimportant tasks delay progress) |
| REMEDY | Go back to doodling with initial idea. Clarify points in a bare-bones diagram | Brainstorm, research, and test new language in a journal | Rethink message to realign with your work or life passions | Drink coffee | Close door and browser. Or do exercise and yoga before writing to increase focus | Write down priorities. Stress the important, not just urgent |
A block can come at any point in writing. The most frustrating block for me is when I think I know what I want to say, and then, after I flail away for a couple of hours, I realize I really don’t. I have to accept that it’s the better part of valor to stop composing, rethink, re-outline, look for fresh words, throw out what I’ve already written, and then restart.
Simply trying to bulldoze through writer’s block often ends up being the long way to getting restarted. You have to first figure out why the block emerged. If you have thinker’s block, trying to overcome procrastination won’t do much to get you restarted.
[Revised January 2020. Originally published April 22, 2011]