The Myth of Writer's Block

Being ‘blocked’ is infamous among the writing community.
However, you may be surprised to know that the condition of ‘writer’s block’
does not physically exist! It is a fallacy, borne in the mind that we cannot
write, when really there is another matter to blame entirely.

‘The internal critic.’

There is –buried in the mines of your imagination – a little
voice that sometimes rears its ugly head. And it says things like:

‘You’re writing is rubbish.’

‘Why are you still doing this?’

‘You should just give up.’

The BIGGEST mistake you can make is listening to this voice.
It will get you nowhere. (Apart from digging your own creative grave.) The
voice is designed to be your own worst enemy. It’s like a really harsh editor
who hates everything you produce; and continually insists you go back to the
drawing board to better yourself. A useful technique when you get yourself in
this position is to look at things rationally.

Firstly: reading through your work, is it the best you can
do right now? If yes… great! If not… you may want to make changes. Changes are
fine, until you get to the point of no return where… you’re making changes for
the sake of it. Or, you’re not really making your work better, just ‘different.’
And that’s no good. You need to be confident in what you have written in front
of you, until it can only be made different in your mind.

Another fatal err can be thinking that something is better
than nothing. Which is hardly ever the case! Forced creative is worse than
none, because you will most likely drive yourself insane trying to come up with
that illusive ‘a good idea’ and never find it.

Logically speaking, there are no such things as good or bad
ideas, because it’s all subjective. In the same way, your writing cannot be
good or bad, because it is all a matter of opinion. However, people’s opinions
obviously count when you are creating literature because it is one of the arts.
If your desire lies in the realm of making money from writing, you will need
people to like your work in order to buy it. Basic principles of business.

Controversy can be good when you’re just starting out; because
it helps you decide where you want to place yourself within the writing market.
(If anywhere at all, it is entirely plausible that you may want to start your
own sector.) Now whilst this is doable, it obviously more difficult trying to
establish yourself as opposed to fitting in with what already exists.

To make a claim such as: ‘I am going to be the next JK
Rowling’ is more than a bit ridiculous, since it is so highly unlikely. Whilst
there is such a thing as luck in the business of writing and having the right
idea at the right time, you also need the discipline and passion for your
subject to be able to sustain yourself throughout the writing process.

Ultimately, what you choose to do is exactly that: a choice.
And only you can make it. Chances are, you will start ideas and never finish
them. Or steal from one of your stories and slam it into the other. If you’re struggling
to decide on a genre, you will probably end up creating a
romance-horror-comedy-action-adventure-fantasy-thriller-western-with elements
of kung fu- novel! And that’s ok – because you don’t necessarily have to
pigeon-hole yourself.

But back to the fact that you are never really ‘blocked.’
You need to switch the voice. I wonder whether you were critiquing this
organised ramble as you were reading? Whether or not you actually agreed with
anything I said is irrelevant. Because it’s both wrong and right. It’s all
opinionated.

Your personal experience with give you the best counselling
on how to get you out of your head and get your ideas on the page. My advice:
Gag your internal critic and write something now, anything!