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Writer’s block is a common phenomenon that almost every writer experiences at some point in their career. It refers to the temporary inability to produce new written material, whether that be stories, articles, books, or other creative works. As a writer, it was frustrating every time ideas seemed scarce and the blank pages felt almost impossible to fill. If you noticed my last sentence, it was in past tense, because I was able to overcome this and keep it away. In today’s article, we will explore writer’s block in depth.
What is Writer’s Block?
Writer’s block manifests differently for everyone, but at its core it involves feeling stuck and unable to continue writing. Common symptoms include lack of inspiration, fears about quality or judgment of one’s work, procrastination, and frustration. The blocked writer may stare at a document without being able to add new content or may have snippets of ideas but can’t connect them cohesively. This stops the normal writing process in its tracks and prevents the flow of creativity.
Top 10 Common Causes of Writer’s Block
1. Perfectionism – Constant self-criticism and unrealistic standards make it hard to start writing.
2. Lack of motivation – If a writer isn’t inspired by their topic or deadline, motivation to write dwindles.
3. Fear of failure – High stakes or past criticism causes fear that may thwart the writing process.
4. Overthinking – Some writers get stuck in their heads thinking too much without putting words on paper.
5. Exhaustion – Mental and physical fatigue negatively impact creative thought and output.
6. Lack of structure – No outline or plan leads to uncertainty that breeds block.
7. Environmental distractions – Noise, lack of privacy, and a cluttered workspace disrupt flow.
8. Personal issues – Stress, anxiety, depression, etc. brought on by life events block writing.
9. Comparisons to others – Worrying about how one’s work stacks up to peers’ hinders progress.
10. Boredom with the craft – Writers may burn out and need energizing with inspiration.
According to psychologists, writer’s block is generally a symptom of some sort of underlying issue rather than a standalone phenomenon. Some relevant psychological theories include:
- Freudian perspective – Repressed unconscious feelings like fear, anger, or shame emerge and stop the creative flow.
- Bandura’s self-efficacy theory – Low self-belief in one’s writing abilities becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
- Beck’s cognitive theory – Distorted, negative thought patterns interfere with the writing process.
- Emotional regulation challenges – Strong unpleasant inner experiences halt productive thinking.
- Perfectionism as clinical disorder – Maladaptive perfectionism paralyzes action through flawed standards.
- Goal setting issues – Poor planning, unrealistic goals, and lack of measurable progress demotivate.
However, I find Carl Jung’s theories to be most in line with my resolutions. Jung stated writer’s block is caused by ignoring important unconscious material and visions that need to be expressed and by over-identifies with conscious thinking and rationality, shutting out their intuition, dreams and imagination stored in the unconscious.
Leveraging hypnosis and guided meditation opens the path to the subconscious mind and allows for these feelings to surface, removing the blocks and allowing creativity to flow.
