Everyone has an off day when the ideas aren’t flowing and the writing is stop-start or not at all… even the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain or J.K. Rowling. While it’s easy to get stuck in a rut or death spiral, there’s some cold comfort in knowing we can actually identify the no man’s land or feeling of being stumped for writers… whether you keep a dream journal like Graham Greene or not.
“Writer’s block” may have afflicted the likes of Aristotle and Socrates, who may have waxed lyrical by way of a good dialogue or questioning over the philosophy or purpose behind this disconnected condition. Roman poet Horace used to complain about “dry spells” and “blocks” that stopped him from getting on with it, while John Keats was more poetic in his estimation, attributing feelings “emptiness and stagnation.”
It wasn’t until 1947 that people must have just said things like “I’m having a slow writing day” or “I’m fresh out of ideas”. The term was proliferated as the rise of the professional writer came about in which they were expected to just keep the tap running. Now we can know for certain it’s got nothing to do with a butcher’s block, even though there may be some days when your head feels discombobulated enough to have last been on one.
Austrian psychoanalyst Edmund Bergler coined the term and believed that writer’s block was caused by unconscious psychological conflicts, such as oral masochism and repressed desires. Widely accepted in its day, the theory has been challenged, now coming to include factors such as stress, anxiety, perfectionism and procrastination.
The word “block” is useful in diverting any talk of incompetence, more concerned with the writer, interrupted. They’re not lazy but can feel discouraged about the suspension of perceived creativity, productivity or imagination, which is why it’s useful to go all “Who Wants to be A Millionaire?” and reach out to a friend or ask the audience.
The bottom line is that “writer’s block” happens to the best and worst of us. Getting out of the funk can take some time and perhaps it’s good not to put too much pressure on oneself… or as some suggest, just lean into it and keep spewing out junk until it comes right. Writing by association, visiting a busy coffee shoppe or even exploring a new part of your city or park can be the tonic. Or, write a fun article about writer’s block!