Smash through writing roadblocks

Overcoming writers' block and more

You want to write. Ideas swirl through your mind, dreams of writing and even publishing a book nag at the corners of your life.

Perhaps you’ve written a few pages, or more than a few. But now you feel a little stuck. You keep hitting roadblocks on your journey. Today I want to talk about just three common writing  roadblocks and how to smash through them (or step confidently around them—which might be easier and less destructive.)

What blocks you as a writer? What barriers stand between you and your finished manuscript or even published book?

Let’s look at and demolish three common writing roadblocks:

• Writer’s block

• Busyness

• Discouragement

Dealing with writer’s block

You want to write. You sit down to write a chapter or blog post or newsletter, tap “New document” in Word, and then stare hopeless at the gaping white space on your screen. Where to begin? Your desire is real, but so is the struggle. So many aspiring writers pause at this threshold, hesitant. They feel intimidated by the blank page. They struggle with writers’ block. They want to get it right. And therein lies the problem.

Don’t try to get it right on the first go. Sit down, turn off your phone, and write three sentences speaking directly to your reader. What common struggle do you share with them? What questions are they asking? (For example, look at the first three paragraphs of this newsletter.)

Then write your thoughts about those questions. Tell a story about your own experience with the same questions. Make a list of ways to address that struggle. Write as imperfectly as you can—knowing revision comes later. For now, focus on the ideas, not how they are presented.

Joyfully let go of polish and perfection. Get anything down, get your fingers moving. Let yourself type “I don’t know what to write about and I feel a bit like a fraud” if it feels true. Then type, “however…” and then just keep typing, let your thoughts flow, knowing later that much of what you’re just getting out will end up on the cutting room floor, so to speak.

Anne Lamott famously advised writers to commit to writing shitty first drafts. Just get something down on paper (or screen) and promise yourself you will revise it later. Don’t try to revise as you write. Just get some words on the page, so you have something to work with.

My son loved Legos. The child was obsessed. (Mamas, go ahead and buy all the Legos. My son is now an architect.)

He had (and I still have) bins full of the brightly hued interlocking blocks. To begin, he’d simply dump a pile of the bricks on the floor. And slowly select, sort, connect and so on.

Your first draft is the literary equivalent of making a pile of Lego bricks on the floor. Just pour all the things out of your brain and onto the page. Order doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about passive voice or word choice or tangents. Follow tangents merrily, just get something on the page. Trying to craft perfect sentences in your first draft is like crafting a Lego project by pulling one brick out of the bin at a time. Dump ideas, words, fragments onto the page. Don’t worry about revising until you’ve got a lot to work with.

Too busy to write

When people ask how I find time to write, I ask them, “How do you find time to do your job?” They go—well, it’s my job, so I have to do it. Exactly. Writing is my full-time job. Being self-employed, I’ve been “working remote” for decades. But I structure my days to include time to write each day—typically in the morning when my brain works better. I don’t write when I feel like it. I schedule time to write. Also, I only get paid when I produce, which motivates me quite effectively.

Over the years, I’ve sometimes had a day job (admittedly, in communications) but even when working for others, I kept writing my own books, blog posts, etc.

If writing is not your day job, finding time to write is only slightly more challenging. But it is a barrier you can smash through with the magic of advanced decision making.

If you wait until the moment you “might” write, you won’t. People engaging in an exercise or workout plan are much more likely to stick to it if they decide ahead of time and commit to working out at a specific time. They eliminate their own ability to ask, “do I feel like it?” and instead just do it. In other words, they practice advance decision making. Advance decision making helps you build habits.

I meet friends three mornings a week to go for a run. I don’t have to decide if I feel like running. It’s Tuesday (or Thursday, or Saturday) so I run. I’ve already decided so it makes it easier. I’ve built a habit of running on those days.

Similarly, it’s not “do I feel like writing?” but rather, “it’s time to write.”

Look at your calendar and schedule specific times to write. Make writing appointments, to build a writing habit. If you work full-time doing something other than writing, choose one day a week, and make that your writing day. Decide ahead of time, for example, that Saturday is your writing day. Or, if you prefer, block off an hour or two early each weekday morning and commit to spending it writing before you head off to your day job. If you’re more productive late at night, schedule your writing time for that hour or two when your creativity peaks. Choose a time and stick with it.

Don’t wait for “inspiration” to strike. Show up at the page, at the computer. Decide ahead of time that you will keep this appointment. Commit to a specific amount of time, or a certain number of words written, for each writing appointment.

Feeling discouraged

As you travel down the road on your writing adventure, making progress, getting words onto the page or computer file, you may lose momentum. Discouragement is less a roadblock and more like a ditch beside the road that we suddenly find ourselves in. This applies of course not only to writing but life as well.

Negative self-talk, fueled by fear, will put us in that ditch every time. Now, a lot of people will tell you to just replace the negative talk with positive affirmations: I can do it. I’m good enough. Etc.

I would argue that affirmations are not enough. Writing is hard work. And some people, frankly, are better at writing than others. Just like some people are better cooks, or faster runners, or more adept at using technology. But people who are better at something usually work at it. They invest time in self-improvement.

The good news is that writing is a craft, and you can hone your craft. You can become a better writer. And I find that spending time learning and practicing your craft is far more effective than just telling yourself “I can do it!”

Take a class on writing. Join a writers’ group. Hire a writing coach. Subscribe to newsletters (like this one). Read books about writing. Then practice what you learn. Get words on the page. Self-esteem springs from skills.

Don’t misunderstand. I use affirmations, written and spoken, to remind myself of what is true, and what I want to be true. I write down goals and post them where I can see them to remind myself to keep going.

But I also read books and blogs about writing. I ask other writers to critique my work. I continue to be a student of writing. I’ve made a living at writing since I was 23 (a very modest living, but still). But I continue to learn. And when I feel discouraged, which I do, I turn to research and learning, to practicing my craft.

These are just three writing roadblocks. What other roadblocks have you encountered on your writing journey? Leave a comment or hop over to A Powerful Story Facebook private group, a gathering place for writers, and comment there.