Writer's Block: Overcome the Author's Primary Antagonist via a System of Reinforcing Habits

It starts like a phone call . . . no more than a distraction. But it can grow on you, into a full-blown, one-sided relationship with a determined antagonist—aim of which is to work against you, dear writer. 

Writer's block, aka "invisible oppressor" presents as a loss of ability to create new work, or as an interruption of what had been ongoing work. Whether professional or aspiring, a writer can be permanently frustrated by writer's block, if they don't recognize the disorder and devise coping strategies. 

HOW TO OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK

Being defined as a condition of being unable to proceed with writing, writer's block is understood only in vague terms and thought to be rooted in either creative or psychic issues. (Merriam-Webster)

Speaking of "psychic issues":

Frame of mind, or attitude, being tantamount to our cumulative daily actions, we should invest time and energy in order to overcome the negative emotions and behaviors that can lead to writer's block. Because our attitude is a malleable, living thing which consists of temporary states experienced along a linear timeline, we can apply techniques in an effort to improve the management of our experiences. 

Photo by Steve Johnson, Unsplash

In turn, we enhance our ability to manage our way out of the bonds of writer's block once caught, and—if we're lucky—to avoid the invisible oppressor altogether through a system of good habits we've built as the culmination of various techniques applied in a continuous, progressive manner.

So what kind of habits can we create, or improve upon, in order to build our system to overcome writer's block?

Recognize & utilize reinforcing habits

Reinforcing habits are those things we consciously do—the rituals we perform—to prepare for an event . . . like a writing session. Some common reinforcing habits that people undertake before settling down to write (or to change the pace) are: 

• eat a big breakfast (ref: Hunter S. Thompson's psychic anchor)
• take a cold shower - excites the system
• get to a special location, whether home or away -
  hotel rooms were a part of Maya Angelou's writing ritual
• take time to prepare a fine beverage (explains all the coffee talk)

Having a favorite cup of tea, cocoa, coffee, or lemon water is one of the easiest, most affordable ways to associate a great writing session with positive, motivational vibes. Settling into your favorite chair behind that beloved table to partake of the aromatic, energizing, roasted bean extraction is flooding your senses with warm associations that welcome the mind to expand its fluid horizons. 

Photo by Bryan Burgos,  Unsplash

That cozy corner of your home, or the local diner or park . . . the cup of coffee. . . are reinforcing habits, or psychic anchors, to your desired behavior.

Perform exploratory exercises

There are a number of fact-finding or investigative, even experimental, methods we can employ in an habituated effort to stimulate thought processes, even our psyche.  Some of the ways we might perform exploratory research as a means of the prevention and treatment of writer's block include:

• meditate (style may matter, regarding creativity and focus)
• jot a journal entry - different styles can be creative prompts
• do a freewriting exercise - use a prompt
• active research - pick a random topic from any notes on your meditations, or journal; where there is little information, there is opportunity for active investigation and inspiration.

As a writer, you can probably identify with researching a topic, writing your piece and editing out excess material which in itself inspires ideas for further writing. It stands to reason that active research on something as narrow as a singular term could yield some inspiration. Same goes for journaling and freewriting, each a different style of drill-writing that encourage new ideas through discoveries made while performing daily writing exercises. 

If you want to give yourself a lead, pick a topic prior to a freewrite. Use a prompt, like an emotion, a picture, a question, or a piece of your own writing from some of that excess material that fell off another project as you edited. Using a prompt can jump-start your brain as it connects that fire as you contemplate your cue.

Meditation is a means of preparation for writing that pulls from deeper wells of knowledge and perception. A writer can begin to study meditation in general, a couple times per week, and enjoy the result—an expanded perception that, hopefully, alleviates writer's block. Or, a writer can perform a meditation directly before a writing session . . . a tactic to catch ideas via the mediation experience. 

Farnoosh Brock, writing for Copyblogger, compares the "inside influence" of meditation to the usual outside-influence writing exercises, and stands by meditation as a "non-negotiable element" of her writing process. 

MOOD ADJUSTMENT

When we need to overcome writer's block, we essentially need to change our mood . . . or, make an attitude adjustment. We shouldn't spend too much time making light of the issue. Instead, we should acknowledge the damaging effects that writer's block can have on us, beginning with the challenging aspects of identifying the problem. Beyond identification, we must prioritize remedying practices.

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Every remedy we've suggested here today has potential to lead us out of the murky woods that harbor writer's block and to a better place, through continued engagement with particular practices. By choosing to establish reinforcement habits, (Thompson's "psychic anchors") in relation to writing and exploratory exercises, we can lead ourselves to greener pastures through practice and expression. 

What better way, for an artist?

"Anybody with a terminally jangled lifestyle needs at least one psychic anchor every 24 hours".
—Hunter S. Thompson

.  .  .

What kind of reinforcement habits to you perform as prelude to your writing sessions, and do you relate any of your positive, motivation-building habits to only certain writing exercises? 

Drop us a line! We'd love to hear about your experiences along the path to becoming a greater writer.