Say this mantra with me:
Writer’s block is a myth.
Writer’s block is a myth.
Writer’s block is a myth.
One of the first steps towards being able to overcome writer’s block, is recognizing that “writer’s block” is a myth. That not to say that there is no such thing as feeling stalled, unmotivated, burnt-out, overwhelmed, or anxious about composing. Certainly, these very real emotional experiences can make writing difficult and lead us to look for excuses not to write. And, sometimes we do need to recognize when we do not feel prepared to write. However, we need to look within ourselves for the real reasons that we feel like we cannot write and stop relying on silly mythical excuses. It is important that we stop mysticizing the writing process by using the imprecise and elusive term writer’s block. If we recognize that writer’s block doesn’t exist – if we repeat the mantra above – we are then forced to consider what really stands in the way of our ability to wholly engage in the writing process.
While there are many reasons that writing can become difficult, one common issue that I have encountered throughout my years of teaching is that many students have overly ambitious writing schedules. In a misguided attempt to write efficiently, students often do not account for properly meeting their emotional and physical needs along the way. By focusing unrealistically on the final product, students do not get the most out of the process and, in fact, write less efficiently. Such a destination centered focus leaves little room for meditative thought, enjoyment, error, and, importantly, for attending to human emotional and physical needs along the way.
The drive to skip ahead in the process to the final draft, work hard in big chunks of time, and disregard emotional and physical needs, is not entirely a student issue. More generally, this is all tied to a larger cultural issue – the American work ethic. American culture pushes most of us to internalize the idea that hard work is the key to success. And, in this culture, hard work is demonstrated by ignoring our humanity, by spending many hours of active time on a project, and by not stopping to attend to our needs. We are compelled to believe that we should dedicate every hour possible to work and that doing so makes us better and more efficient. It does not. As humans we need time to relax, sleep, socialize, eat well, exercise, and enjoy our lives. We cannot possibly do our best work if we do not meet our human needs first.
As writers, our mental and physical well-being directly affects our ability to compose. If we do not attend to our human needs – if we do not practice self-care – we will most likely find ourselves stalled, unmotivated, burnt-out, overwhelmed, and anxious. When this happens, we are caught in a cycle of working hard, but certainly not working smart. If we do not manage our time in ways that also accounts for our humanity by establishing an appropriate work-life balance, then we are not setting ourselves up to successfully engage in the writing process. A writer’s schedule must be spaced out, divided into small tasks, and include downtime for contemplative, reflective, and playful thought that sometimes comes when we aren’t so focused on trying to get words on the page as quickly as possible.
To illustrate the importance of self-care for writers, I’d like to share a story that stands out to me as an example of what happens when writers allow ourselves time to relax and take a step back from work. After an exhausting tour in 1965, famous musician and poet Bob Dylan experienced debilitating burn-out. He announced that he was no longer interested in a career in the music industry. Dylan bought a cabin in the middle of nowhere in upstate New York to escape what had become a joyless and stressful job as a musician. He thought he was done with songwriting and performance. Dylan said he was “going to become a painter and novelist.”
Yet, after only a few days of sequestering himself to the isolated cabin and getting some much needed rest and relaxation, Dylan started to write songs again. We might say he was overcome with inspiration. However, inspiration is another one of those common writing words that carries some mystical baggage. Like the idea of writer’s block, the idea of inspiration is also a writing myth that hides the real intellectual, emotional, and physical work writers do in the prewriting process. Just like any great writer, Dylan didn’t simply sit down and compose a perfect song. If we really consider the process of writing, the idea that writers are struck by inspiration and instantly write their great works is absolutely ridiculous. So, instead of saying he was inspired to write, I prefer to say that Dylan was able to relax into the writing process. Once the feelings of being stalled, unmotivated, burnt out, overwhelmed, and anxious subsided, Dylan was able to clear his head and think of interesting ideas. He was able to enjoy writing songs again. Instead of continuing to run himself ragged, Dylan relaxed into the composition process. As a result of his self-care, over the course of a month in that cabin, Dylan composed one of his most well-known and celebrated songs in American music history, “Like a Rolling Stone.”
Dylan’s secret to success was the time he chose to spend in the cabin. By retreating from culturally and self-imposed pressure to continue working hard, Dylan unknowingly gave himself the opportunity to work smart. He allowed himself to be a human and enjoy life again, and in doing so he was able to get back to work on his songwriting. Even though Dylan did not make the conscious decision to go to the cabin in order to write, we can learn from his story. Recognizing that Dylan required some time for self-care in order to write again, we can make the conscious effort as writers to care for our own emotional and physical well-being.
While students do have deadlines to achieve, along with various other work and life pressures, it is important to prioritize human needs into student writing schedules. When we find ourselves unable to write productively, we must become introspective and recognize the ways in which writing is not a mystical experience. Writing is a very human intellectual, emotional, and even physical work process that requires both self-care and sacrifice. Hours might need to cut from a work schedule. We might need to demand time alone from our family and friends. We might need to ask for help with other responsibilities. As writers, we must work and plan to make time for tranquil moments with our own thoughts, we must eat well, exercise, sleep, and work writing into our everyday lives. Without engaging fully in the writing process in ways that both space out the process and leave time to attend to our human needs, the composition process becomes a tedious task. And, we cannot possibly compose our best work if our writing schedule makes us feel stalled, unmotivated, burnt-out, overwhelmed, or anxious.
Once again, say this mantra with me:
Writer’s block is a myth.
Writer’s block is a myth.
Writer’s block is a myth.
Self-care is what I need.
leslie ann haines 