Why Socializing Gave Me A Writer’s Block And Why I’m Okay With It

The past couple of weeks have been quite exciting for me.

Out of nowhere, a bunch of my old-time buddies came to town. I had a long spell of loner-hood in 2022, being surrounded by people I could not relate to. So now you can only imagine the joy I felt in re-uniting with some of my closest buddies.

But like all good things, it came with a price:

The infamous writer’s block.

Extroversion and Expression

When I met them, it wasn’t just mindless talk. It was memorable talk. We were catching up, sharing stories and laughs while pouring out our thoughts and emotions.

Basically, the same stuff we all do here on Medium.

But expressing myself through a different medium, and not Medium, seems to have compromised my writer’s headspace.

Stepping into my extroverted shoes, I realized that my writing fuel comes mostly from the other side.

Introversion and Introspection

2022 was a wonderful year of solitude for me. And I made the best use of it by adapting my lifestyle accordingly. But the real rewards of that period were all the revelations I got from contemplation and introspection.

Because who needs company when you have your own soul to explore?

With me and my perspectives, life became interesting.

A Need For An Audience

Naturally, I felt the need to express my revelations. I chose to do it through my Instagram captions.

That was a mistake.

It didn’t take me long to realize that the shallow Gram was a highly incompatible medium for my thought-out captions. The algorithm couldn’t care less about well-written captions and neither could the audience.

So I eventually landed here, a platform that not only gave me an outlet for my thoughts, but provided me with a wonderful audience and a sense of community as well.

I mean, compared to the superficiality that floats around on popular social media platforms these days, most of us here look nothing less than Socrates.

A Need For Belonging

When people’s attention spans drop down to hell, and the rat-race rules over their minds, you realize that you have to find a different set of people. It doesn’t matter if you find your crowd online, or if you find a single friend with a similar mindset as you.

You just want to share and belong, wherever that is.

And when you feel heard and understood, you feel fulfilled.

Medium did that for me. But surprisingly, my recent spree of socializing did it too.

So I’m Cool With My Writer’s Block

The dosage of high-quality socializing gave me a writer’s block only because I felt the same sense of satisfaction I usually do from writing.

The self-expression was done. The fuel was spent. The belonging was felt.

It was an offline version of Medium.

Engaging conversations. Interested audience.

So for now, I choose to enjoy those precious, offline memories I just made, before the magic eventually wears off.

Besides, the block has really made me spend more time in discovering more writers and read more articles than I usually do.

All in all, it’s been going good even if I haven’t published anything in a week, even if I feel dissatisfied with most of my drafts.

Online vs Offline Connections

Sometimes I wonder how a real life interaction with a fellow writer from here would be like. One where I’d get to see your expressions and feel your vibe, where I get to see the 3D-you behind your beautiful words.

I know. It’s ironic coming from someone whose name is of a gemstone and whose picture is of the back of her head.

But that’s my point. We are still on the internet, where data itself is an asset. And it doesn’t help that I worked in Cybersecurity either. So I’m even more guarded online, contrary to a real life conversation where words just fly away in the air, and I don’t have to worry about leaving behind a trail of evidence that is linked to my identity.

So I choose to pay the price of a writer’s block in exchange for some real-life, quality human interaction. I really appreciate and value the analog life in a digital world.

Besides, Medium is my rock. I know I always come back to it to write.

I write here to stay connected with this community that gives me a sense of belonging in this fast-paced world.

You are as much a part of my “circle” as my offline friends. The only difference is that I don’t know how most of you sound or move in real life, yet I know your deepest thoughts and the events of your life that changed you forever. Knowing you in that way makes this place special for me.

Thank you for reading 🌹