When I first started writing professionally, I felt that there was no such thing as writer’s block. In my opinion, ideas were everywhere, and I thought that if you couldn’t write then you were just being lazy. As I’ve become a more experienced writer, I still think ideas are everywhere, but I’ve learned that writer’s block is not what I originally thought.
What’s The Diagnosis?
When we think of writer’s block, most people assume it’s about not having any ideas. Google says that writer’s block is “the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.” I am going on the record saying that Google is wrong. As writers, we all know how to get ideas and string words together. The Merriam-Webster dictionary comes closer to an accurate definition: “a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece.” Even still, this definition doesn’t really tell us what writer’s block is, it only says it’s a mind block.
But what is the block? Why do people feel like they can’t write? It’s not hard. The formula is simple: character + action = consequences. Just sitting here at my computer, I can put ideas together for a story. A woman writes a blog post that goes viral…or gets her arrested. A cat jumps on a woman’s keyboard, and an email she was writing to simply vent frustration actually gets sent. Ideas are everywhere. So, why do some people experience writer’s block?
I’ve thought a lot about this, and the answer that came to me is so simple that I thought it couldn’t be possible. Yet the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Writer’s block isn’t about not having ideas, it’s about feeling like you don’t have good enough ideas. Think about it. If you have writer’s block or had it before, was the problem that you couldn’t think of what to write or that the ideas you had seemed awful? It’s the perfectionist in us that keeps us frozen in fear instead of writing. We want to write the best book we can so, clearly, we need an amazing idea. Yet we doubt if our ideas are actually amazing.
Your Cure!
Here is where I want to challenge you to throw out that fear. I have never read a book or watched a movie where I thought “that was a bad story idea.” Usually, if a story falls flat, it’s because I didn’t like the ending, the plot didn’t flow, a character was too abrasive or flat, or it was just presented poorly. There is no such thing as a bad story idea. Think of the most boring idea, and there is probably a book or movie that explores it. Two sisters want to find men to marry: Pride and Prejudice. A boy goes to boarding school: Harry Potter. A man gets stuck on Mars: Dune. There is a murder on a train: Murder on the Orient Express. A woman has an affair: Anna Karenina.
None of these ideas are life-changing, but the books were. Why? Because it’s not about the idea, it’s about what you do with the idea. You can have the worst idea ever and make it a bestseller. How? By writing it well. So you first need to make sure you hone your writing craft so you can produce good work. Then take your bad ideas and string them together. After the first draft, you can go back and rewrite and edit until you have an amazing book. The process takes time and patience, but you can do it!
Final Thoughts
Take your ideas and use the formula: character + action = consequence. I don’t care if you hate what comes out of it, just do it. Eventually, you can shape it into an excellent story. Writing isn’t about having the golden idea and it coming out perfectly the first time. You just need words on the page, and then you can make it amazing. Remember, there is no such thing as a bad first draft. It merely needs to exist in order to do its job. Then turn that draft into something you’re proud to have others read.
Thanks for reading!
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