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So, writer’s block. What the hell is it, really? Well … officially?

Google defines it as “The condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.”

Let’s go with that. Simple, concise, and yet broad enough to leave room for debate. The thing is, we could debate it forever. In fact, those who claim to experience writer’s block probably would debate it …by writing many uppity social media posts.

I know, I know, someone is already reading this, screaming at the screen “But that’s different!”

But it’s not, is it? Every time we write a blog post, a Facebook status update, a Tweet, or whatever, we’re using our creative muscle. We’re just using them to different effect.

Let me forestall the angry rants that are undoubtedly being formulated by some of my readers. Well, at least let me lower the burner on those fires.

I’m not saying that there aren’t times where writing is far more difficult than others. Sometimes we’re burned out. By all the powers that be, we all know that happens! And we also enter periods of our lives where the conditions are not so conducive to our processes–and we all have our own unique process. At other times we find ourselves in a state of over-analysis, over-thinking every tiny aspect of what we’re doing. And then there are the doubt demons. (Fuck those demons!) And I can’t forget to mention my favorite–laziness!

I’ve experienced all of these in my own life, and I’m sure most of you have too–likely all of you. And, having found my way through those dark woods on each and every occasion, I can honestly say that I find the above definition of writer’s block to be utter bullshit.

Utter-fucking-bullshit.

I can almost hear the cries of “Then you’ve never had true writer’s block!”

To anyone thinking those words, I hope you get the crotch rot.

See, I’m not saying you aren’t having a hard time writing. What I am saying is that you are not “unable” to write, as the definition (and many individuals) would have us believe.

You are not a comatose, paraplegic, mute. You have a mind (hopefully), and you have use of either fingers or voice. That means that you are physically capable of writing. The mental part is not actually stopping you.

YOU are stopping you.

Now, I’m not just going to sit here all comfy behind my keyboard and talk shit. Like I said earlier, I’ve been through “writer’s block” and found my way past it, because I realized there was a simple solution to my problem: write something! 

What a novel idea, huh! HAH! ha ha …okay, that was a bad pun, sorry, but you see what I’m getting at, right?

So, yeah, writing is the key to overcoming writer’s block.

Write a word. Then another word, and then another and another. I’m not saying you’re going to write the next best seller in your current state, but get some words down. Maybe your writer’s block is keeping the creativity from flowing, but you know what? You only get water from a faucet by turning it on. The same goes for creativity. Start the process. Move forward. Eventually, that wall between you and your creativity will be behind you, and in the meantime, at least you’ll be fighting the good fight rather than whining about your writer’s block. Now, isn’t that a better option? Unless you’d prefer to be whining rather than getting some words down on a work-in-progress. If that’s the case, then I can’t help you.

If you aren’t suffering from burnout, a great way to renew your inspiration is to read and edit what you’ve already got down on a WIP. Yeah, I know, everyone always says not to edit as you write, but we’re not writing yet, remember? We’re suffering from writer’s block. There’s an exception to every rule, and we need to get our asses moving, so get reading and get editing!

If burnout is your problem, then yes, you may want to take a break from creative writing. Read, binge watch some cool-ass shows. Exercise! Serious, this last one does indeed work. Exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins help boost focus and creativity. And it’s just healthy.

If your burnout is specific to your WIP, then switch it up. Move on to another project. Don’t know what to write about? Use a writing prompt. Or just open a Word file and start typing. If you’re finding it just too hard to begin, then look around your writing space, pick anything in view and use that as the object of your first sentence. Go to a coffee shop and listen to the conversations around you, and use one of them as a jumping-off point for a short story. The point isn’t to write amazing shit here, the point is to write.

If you’re over-analyzing your work, then take a break. Again I recommend exercise. Meditate if that’s your cup of tea. Understand that it is okay to take time away from writing. Sometimes things need to marinate. Sometimes we have to let our mind slow down. Ask yourself why it is you are over-scrutinizing your material? Is it the doubt demons? (This is usually the case with over-analyzing.) Whatever the reason, try and identify it. But, you know what? Even if you can’t identify the reason, you should know one very important thing: you don’t need to know this enemy in order to defeat it.

The solution is still the same in every instance. Just write. Something, anything, and then keep writing. In the case of over-analyzing, I recommend you continue with an existing project; if you have to fight with yourself in order to get some words down, they might as well be gaining you ground on your WIP, right?

Lastly, we have laziness. Damn, I love this one! This was my biggest hurdle to my writing career. Laziness is the most insidious of all the differing powers behind writer’s block. It actually acts a lot like addiction. It will not generally announce itself, rather taking the form of all manner of justifications, the most common of which is just a straight-up “I’m not feeling creative. All I do is stare at the screen. I have writer’s block.” Yep. Because you’d rather be watching the Battlestar Galactica reboot. Or playing Battlefield on your PS4 or XBox. Or masturbating. Or just about anything else that could possibly be turned into an excuse. But your mind won’t recognize it as laziness–no, no! It’s writer’s block! Suuure it is. And the shittiest thing about laziness getting in the way of your writing is, unless you learn to see it for what it is, you will feel justified in doing anything other than writing itself. Once again, the only solution is to start writing.

Okay, there was another cause of writer’s block that I mentioned. We’ll call this “environmental.” This happens when the conditions of your life are just not conducive to your process. This is perhaps the one condition I have true sympathy for. (This was my second largest hurdle to my writing career.) Deaths in the family can maim our emotional state. Family obligations can occupy massive amounts of our time and thoughts. Medical conditions can hobble any of us. There’s no end to this list, as our lives are all unique, and each one of us has a different tolerance for adversity. In these sorts of situations, I can offer only two pieces of advice.

If any of your environmental conditions are within your power to change, then change them; if they are not, but you still have a desire to write, then find ways to sneak it in. Download Evernote or a similar app to your phone or tablet and work in a few words here and there. It may seem useless or daunting, but trust me when I say that, if you can manage even a few sentences a day, you’re probably going to feel as if you’ve won a small victory. And indeed that’s what will have happened.

A huge part of writing, for nearly all of us, is working writing into our everyday lives in whatever ways we can. No one is saying it’s easy. Actually, I’ve said the exact opposite on many occasions. But it does get easier, the more you do it. However writing fits into your life, enjoy it and know that the only “wrong way” is to simply admit defeat and give up.

The moral of this story is: The only way through it is to do it.