Writer’s block: what it is and how to move through it

As a screenwriting mentor, I hear some version of this from my clients all the time – “I can’t write. I know deep down I’m meant to be a screenwriter but when I sit down to write, nothing happens.” Or maybe they’re halfway through a script and one day the “juice just vanishes”. Whatever the phraseology, they’re all explaining the same phenomenon. Writer’s block.

What exactly is writer’s block? 

It’s that moment when you sit down to write but nothing comes. We all know that. But what’s actually going on when this happens?

The first thing I do to help my clients through writer’s block is to make sure they understand what it is. Writer’s block is fear. That’s it. Plain and simple. It’s fear of failure, fear of inadequacy, fear of being great. It can look many ways but has one thing in common - the ability to stop you entirely.

Next, I explain that the goal isn’t to eliminate writer’s block. We’re not trying to eradicate it completely. That’s not possible. We’re trying to work with it.

I’ve been a professional screenwriter in Hollywood for over 15 years, and during my entire time in this business, the one thing that has never gone away is the fear. The voice that says I don’t have it, I’m no good. I face it every day I sit down to write. You might think some writers don’t suffer from writer’s block, but that’s simply not the case. We all do. The successful ones just have a plan so that it doesn’t control their work. I can help you develop a plan too.

How to overcome writer’s block.

Here are the steps that I use to bypass writer’s block. Follow them and you will have a career-long solution that helps you grow bigger than your fear.

1. Get curious

Start by getting curious about the fear that’s causing you to be stuck. Pay attention to your thoughts. Write them down. For me, the voice inside my head gets really mean and nasty. The negative self talk starts to ramp up. It sounds like “You suck. You’re no good. You’re fooling yourself if you think you’re a writer. Everyone thinks you’re a joke. Why don’t you just give up, loser.”

Get really familiar with what this voice says, how it speaks to you, how it makes you feel. Try to pay attention to what happens inside your body as well. For me, I start to sweat. My stomach gets tight. My pelvic floor clenches up. My breath starts to quicken. These are all textbook fear responses by the way.

Your psychological and physiological responses to writer’s block will be unique to you, so be sure to pay close attention in order to get very familiar with them. The next time you’re really in it, really being controlled by writer’s block, get out a journal. Listen carefully to your thoughts and dictate them. Literally write down the words that the voice inside your head is saying. Write down how it makes you feel inside your body as well.

2. Acknowledge the fear

If you do this “getting curious” exercise as often as you can, eventually you’ll start to get to know the fear. In a sense, you are befriending the fear. This is a good thing. When you acknowledge the fear you also demystify it. You strip it of its power. Most importantly, you are separating yourself from this fear voice so that you are no longer the fear. Once you start to understand this, the next time you hear that mean voice start to turn on, you can simply acknowledge it and ask it to stop. I oftentimes literally say out loud, “Oh there you are again. I know you. Can you please stop talking. I’m trying to work.”

3. Validate the fear

Once my clients are able to understand and acknowledge the fear, I ask them to validate it. I remind them that it makes sense that they are scared. Writing is one of the most vulnerable things you can do, so the fear is completely logical.

4. Decide which part of you gets to win

During a bout of writer’s block, there are two parts of you in opposition. There’s the part of you that is scared and doesn’t want to work. And then there’s another part of you that is bigger, unafraid and wants to create something beautiful. When you are blocked you are letting the scared part call the shots. It doesn’t have to be that way. The most powerful thing to understand here is that you have a choice to make.

To help make the choice, I always suggest trying to connect with the much more powerful, much more authentic voice inside. The one that wants to express, create, succeed. Think back to a time when you felt confident, assured, powerful. Where do you feel that in your body? What does it feel like? What does it make you think about when you connect with it? Write all this down. Notice how different it feels than the fear voice.

Now choose. Which voice do you want to listen to? Which voice gets to win?

5. Take action

Ask yourself this question: can you write today? Answer honestly. If the answer is no, then don’t write. Do something else. It’s ok to come back to your work another day. But if the answer is yes, which I suspect it will be, then you can ask yourself a follow up question: Do you think you can write just one sentence? It doesn’t even have to be well written or grammatically correct. Do you think you can do that?

If the answer is yes, here’s what you ask yourself next: can you write one sentence that describes the location of the scene you are trying to write? For example, if the scene takes place in your main character’s apartment, write one single sentence describing the apartment.

The diggs of a newly graduated college student with a sink full of dirty dishes, Ikea furniture and a mattress on top of a box spring with no bed frame. 

At this point you’re making progress. Next ask yourself to write one more sentence, this time describing who is in the apartment in which the scene is taking place. No problem. Keep going. This time ask yourself to write just one single line of dialouge. If this goes well then try one single line of dialogue in response to the first line you just wrote. 

If this exercise feels like you are treating yourself like a child it’s because you are. That is the point. The part of you that is scared is a very young part so it makes sense that some gentle hand holding might be necessary. Over time this hand holding will become part of your routine, part of your writing process. 

So to recap.

Get curious about the fear. Bring it closer. Then acknowledge it. Name it for what it is. It’s familiar fear. Validate it. Remind yourself that you have a choice about which voice to follow. Then start writing, word after word, no matter the quality. If you do this consistently you will build the new neural pathways that will make this process simple and easeful, one you don’t dread.

My 12-week program is a writing intensive, during which you are asked to write a full screenplay from ideation to completion. It goes without saying that during the program we will encounter your writer’s block - your fear voice - and together we will develop a customized plan to help you move past your fear each and every time you sit down to write.

If you’re ready, book a free 15-minute consultation with me to discuss the details and ask your questions.