Two Types of Writer’s Block and How To Eliminate Both of Them

Stop stressing. Start writing.

Virtually every writer has faced writer’s block at one time or another.

There are two primary types of writer’s block that I immediately think of.

The first is the type of writer’s block when your brain is a total blank. You sit and stare at the computer screen, and you have no thoughts in your head at all. You draw a total blank.

It’s the equivalent of a comedian telling a joke and no one laughing — nothing but crickets — complete emptiness, just space.

This one is the worst one for me because I start to wonder how long it will last. And then I start to panic about what I will do if I never have another idea. This could be the end of my writing. I’m stalled out.

It’s never happened for more than two days straight, but those were a long and unproductive two days. It eventually lifted, and I was back to writing.

The second kind of writer’s block is when you have an idea in your head, or maybe even a bunch of ideas, and you can’t get it transferred into words.

It could be that you can’t get those first few words out because you are drawing a blank, or maybe there are tons of words swirling around in your head, and you can’t put them in order.

In this situation, you know exactly what you want to write about, but it’s stuck. You’re spinning your wheels.

I usually have the curse of the swirling thoughts in my head that I can’t calm down, and I have to walk away from writing for a while. Usually, I end up eating chocolate, taking a nap, or calling it quits for the day because I can’t quiet my mind.

If you want to get serious about your writing or your writing is how you pay your bills, you don’t have the luxury of waiting for the urge to write to strike. You have a schedule to keep and deadlines to meet. You need to write now.

I found actions that I can take that clear my head and get me writing to fulfill promises that I have made to myself or others. It’s simple to do, and I encourage you to try it.

Simple changes can change your mind and your ability to perform.

Begin by moving. Go for a walk, a run, a bike ride. Do some jumping jacks, toe touches, sit-ups. Do some housework, any type of movement so long as it is movement.

Note to self: eating chocolate-covered shortbread cookies is not movement.

Have a brief change of scenery. Go for a drive to the carwash, a ride on mass transit. Go to your mailbox, take a shower, take some chocolate-covered shortbread cookies to your neighbor.

Drink water. Stay hydrated, or you will become a sluggish mess. I think it’s fine to drink other stuff, too, so long as you stay hydrated.

Change your scenery. This is a major one. Go and write somewhere other than where you usually write. Write in the backseat of your car, the attic, the basement, the bathroom, the swing set. Write at home if you typically write away from home, and vice versa. Sit in the middle of your backyard, atop a snowbank, in your shed.

Don’t set up shop in the Apple store; they will ask you to leave, especially if you are using one of their computers to do your work. Don’t ask me how I know this.

Change your writing tool. This is another significant way to jumpstart your brain and get your writing back on track.

There are many things you can use to write with. There’s old-school paper and pen, laptop, desktop, tablet, an app on your phone, to name a few. Use something different than what you usually use.

It’s like taking a trip backward through the grocery store. When you buy groceries, you probably start at a specific part of the store during each visit, and you end at a different part of the store when you’re done.

Next time you make a trip to the grocery store, take your route through the store in the opposite direction. You will see that it’s not as effortless as it usually is when you shop using the path that you have become used to.

Taking steps to change something that has become a habit for you will change your thought process.

Additionally, changing your writing tool can also change your writing experience by changing your writing’s tone or flow.

I talked with one writer who told me that when he writes blogs, he uses his phone instead of his laptop to compose the posts because it helps his writing flow in a way that sounds more informal. He says that he is more relaxed when he uses his phone, and as a result, his writing sounds more appropriate for his blog post.

I like to think that writer’s block has nothing to do with your ability as a writer but has everything to do with your brain acting up because it’s grown bored and lazy from doing the same thing all the time; or maybe it’s stuck because it’s learning something new. It just needs a little bit of a change to snap it into shape and back to its optimal functioning.

This is not a scientific explanation because I am not a doctor or a scientist; I describe the simple ways that I like to think about things and tips and tricks that I use when I get stuck.

If you feel that you are having issues with your brain function that go beyond getting stuck on occasion, don’t hesitate to reach out to a psychiatrist or neurologist. They are available to help you. Things can only get better.

Some simple changes can make all the difference in your ability to manage writer’s block.

Whether you believe in writer’s block or whatever you choose to call being stuck when you are trying to write, remember to mix it up. Keep moving and try new activities, locations, and processes.

Not only does trying something new keep you and your brain entertained, but it also provides unique experiences for you to write about.

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Linda Kowalchek is a work in progress and a member of the typewriter generation. She spends her time with her husband and her rescue cats waiting for golf balls to crash through their windows. PSA: Don’t live next to a golf course.