Time to Take a Vacation: What to Do When Writer's Block Hits

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of creators out there who have discussed or written about the dreaded writer's block. Google the phrase and you'll find blog after blog detailing techniques to overcome it or push through it. I have a proposition, however, one I know will have plenty of people up in arms.

Don't bother fighting back.

All creators of original content, whether it be words, music, art, or something else entirely, will one day come face-to-face with what I call The Wall. That place where the noise in your head finally goes quiet, right when you were planning to let it out.

Instead of trying to climb The Wall, or knock it down, wait for the ground below to give way and watch as The Wall crumbles all on its own.

See, I don't think of The Wall as an obstacle or something that's intentionally trying to sabotage you. It never comes in the beginning of a piece, right? No, it shows up halfway through, or even worse, paragraphs away from the climax. It exists to separate you from where you want to take the piece next, and while most people see that as a major inconvenience, I see it as something else entirely.

Typically, by the time I hit The Wall, I have been living inside the story for months. Day in and day out, I have been spending all my time inside my characters' heads, thinking thoughts that aren't mine and struggling with situations I've never actually been in. For however long it takes to get the story onto the page, my own life has to take the backseat. That's what I signed up for when I decided I wanted to tell stories. In order to get it right, I think that kind of intense dedication is necessary.

That being said, for me, The Wall functions as a panic chord. It is so simple for me to get buried in my work and lose pieces of myself along the way. I know that when I come to The Wall, it's my brain telling me to stop. If I keep going like this, living in someone else's head, I'm going to crash and it'll be a disaster.

For example, I spent majority of my senior year of college living in a story overflowing with guilt, pain, and self-loathing. (Seriously, ask my roommates. They watched me tear myself apart over this one nearly every night). The things my characters were dealing with were dark, and as a result, I started to feel suffocated by them.

I remember hitting The Wall almost three-quarters of the way through the second draft. I sat there staring at my computer screen, trying to phrase something just right, but the only words repeating in my head were: I don't want to live in this character's world anymore.

For the first time in a while, I craved reality. I craved my monotonous day jobs, going out with my friends, even homework. I craved that sensation of starting a new piece, of meeting new characters, of discovering yet another world to live in.

So, I decided I would take a vacation. Not a physical one (though, a trip to the beach would probably work wonders too), but a mental one. I saved the file on my hard drive, went for a drive, and when I got back, I opened a blank document to start plotting out my next piece.

I didn't touch the story for almost three weeks.

I was on a morning run when I felt it give way and The Wall came tumbling down. Listening to an old Fall Out Boy song, feeling my heartbeat between my ears as the muscles in my legs tightened up, I could practically see what needed to happen next.

Opening that file again felt like coming home instead of venturing into battle. With newfound confidence in the characters, I plowed over the remnants of The Wall as I took to the keys. I finished that draft within the week.

So, if you're here looking for advice to overcome writer's block, I'm here to say don't bother. Don't waste your time forcing yourself to search for inspiration elsewhere. The story, the piece, the project will still be there in a week, two weeks, a month's time. It is something that exists within you and you are the gatekeeper. Sometimes, you may get so absorbed in it, you may forget to close the gate. That's what The Wall exists for.

Acknowledge The Wall. Check in with yourself. Give it time, because things were made to be broken. The Wall exists to one day crash down.

And art is all that will endure the fall.

Thank you so much for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts and personal experiences with writer's block below. Let me know what you think and be sure to follow me on social media for updates!