“What can I do about writer’s block?” I am asked regularly by stumped writers. “Pretty much the same as plumber does with a plumber’s block,” I’ll respond. People twitter at this reply. Perhaps it’s because they take my response to their writer’s block question for a joke and they’re anticipating a good punch line. But, […]

Why let writer’s block stop you?

“What can I do about writer’s block?” I am asked regularly by stumped writers.

“Pretty much the same as a plumber does with a plumber’s block,” I’ll respond.

People twitter at this reply. Perhaps it’s because they take my response to their writer’s block question for a joke and they’re anticipating a good punch line.

But, this is no joke. A good plumber, I tell these “blocked” writers, goes about his job whether he’s inspired to lay in the pipes of a new bathroom or not. He solders, joins or cuts pipe that afternoon whether he feels like it or not. It’s the same with a writer who is serious about writing. Writers write because writing is what they have to do to get their work done—writer’s block or no writer’s block.

There are many writing tasks.

If you consider that writing doesn’t entail only composing new text—the material whose creation we often attribute to “inspiration,” then there are many other “writing” tasks for you to turn to.

What we call writing also includes a whole array of support services: research, editing existing copy for content and technical problems, rereading copy to check the effectiveness of transitions, choosing photos, interviewing people, etc. As long as a writer thinks of his/her task as only putting new words down on paper, then there is bound to be an occasional writer’s block problem.

When, however, a writer thinks of writing as the total production, then any number of tasks produce the satisfaction of “writing.” No day need be lost to writer’s block

Here are some of the many stages of the writing process.

– pre-writing (internal and external research, note-taking, and preparation)

– writing (first draft work; what we commonly think of as writing because the gold is here!)

– editing

– rewriting (second and third draft work)

– making public (this is the outreach and publicity work. It can start as soon as you think of writing your book.)

If you have writer’s block when it comes to writing, work on one of the other tasks which is indispensable to the writing process. Who knows, by the time you get back to actually writing you may have a new spark of “inspiration” and your writing block will be dissipated.

(Of course, over time, the actual draft writing has to be predominant!)

Good luck writing your memoir!