A poll of opinions on writer's block

I haven't voted because I haven't ever suffered from 'writer's' block, but from a creative block.

It's mainly down to not knowing what happens next, or just not knowing how to start a scene.

I've experienced it twice--and I am differentiating between completely unable to write and not being able to figure out what comes next in the story. Maybe that's called Writer's Speed Bump!

With the writer's block, I could not come up with any ideas nor could I put words on the paper. Nothing was there. The first time, it happened because I had a well-meaning individual who told me that to break into Hollywood I had to write a script a week. The scripts ranged from 30-120 pages, and I probably wrote about 40 of them. It was two years before I was able to write again.

The second one was while I was in the army. I got tagged to be the Group's newspaper reporter--a full time job in additional to my other full time military. That took only six weeks, and I remember going into the mess hall and being unable to remember my last four. I was never more glad to go to the field in my life--it broke the back on the army jerking me around.

The first question, however, does beg the question - does it exist because one has actually experienced it - or have they just run into problems and put it down to writer's block instead of finding the real reason? That's why I voted that it doesn't exist - because I've always found that there's a real reason behind my "blocks" and there's a real solution - if I choose to take it.

JMO

I know that writer's block (or any block of creativity) exists--however I don't believe that what most people call writer's block is really writer's block.

When I hear most people say they're suffering from writer's block because they can't think of what comes next for a few hours or even a few days. To me, that's part of the creative process, when my creative backbrain is working out something and just hasn't informed my conscious mind what to write yet.

Writing block as I, and other friends of mine, have experienced lasts for months or, in one case, over a decade. It isn't just a "can't think of what to write next" to something more akin to clinical depression (and has sent more than one of us to a professional for serious therapy) and affects not just writing but the ability to function in other areas of life. It's a serious problem, even in the "milder" cases.

I voted that I believe it exists and I've experienced it, but I think my definition of it isn't the same as most people's.

DeleyanLee said:

Writing block as I, and other friends of mine, have experienced lasts for months or, in one case, over a decade. It isn't just a "can't think of what to write next" to something more akin to clinical depression (and has sent more than one of us to a professional for serious therapy) and affects not just writing but the ability to function in other areas of life. It's a serious problem, even in the "milder" cases.

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Yeah, that to me is clinical depression - when it affects all or most areas of your life, not just writing. I wouldn't call that writer's block, either.

Linda Adams said:

It was two years before I was able to write again.

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And six years before you could stand up straight again?

No, only kidding. That was one hell of an endeavour. As Robj said, ouch!

But yeah, I think writer's block exists, though sometimes we'll use it as a convenient get-out for something we don't want to hear: this story's rubbish.

So it's not quite a yes, no, maybe thing. It's a symptom of what's going through our heads at a particular time.

By God, I've actually posted something with depth and meaning!

Nurse....

As I voted up above, I believe in writer's block but have never experienced it. I have the opposite situation. I can't stop the water faucet and would write all day and night if I could. However, I have a hubby who pulls me off the computer and I do have to work a 9 to 5.

I put I believe in writers block and have experienced it though, that is not completley accurate.
I've gotten to the point in a novel where I just don't know what happens next (I tend to write on the fly with no outline) like someone mentioned above I call that a creative block. Sometimes it lasts for a few hours, a few days or hell even months, in that case I concentrate on something else. Either by writing something new, reading or stepping aside completely until the creative juices start flowing again.

I voted that I do believe in writer's block and that I have experienced it because depression is the only thing that can stop me from writing, and that's the worst. When I am depressed, I don't write or do anything that I enjoy doing when I'm not depressed, for months. I think depression is one of those things that can stop you dead in your tracks, like pressing the stop button. Everything stops. For me, when I'm depressed, all I want to do is sleep. I don't even want to eat, I want to sleep, and it's funny because when I am depressed, I don't cry unless someone I love has died and that's the reason for my depression, but most of the times I get depressed for no reason at all and I just don't cry. I sleep. And sleep. And keep on sleeping, and every day I feel worse than the day before. Not fun. At all.

Magali said:

I voted that I do believe in writer's block and that I have experienced it because depression is the only thing that can stop me from writing, and that's the worst

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But again, that's depression, not writer's block. Depression where you don't do anything, including write.

I've experienced two kinds. One kind happens when I know there's a problem but can't identify it. The other is psychological and related to courage, I think.

For the first, I recommend reading about the craft. And for the other, I recommend Rachel Simon's Writer's Survival Guide, available online or in book form.

My opinion is that its not specific to writers. Everyone gets this in their field of work or art. If ya want to call it writer's block, cool, but I don't. I dont judge anyone that does as I hope no one judges me for not.

Perhaps writer's block results from our left and right brains fighting, when our creative vesus our analytical impulses collide. A good tool to goose the creative side is to crazy-brainstorm some point within the project. That irrationality helps shut up our hypercritical analytical mind, and occasionally we give ourselves a chuckle.

There's a time for the analytical, but that come later. It's called "editing."

shadowwalker said:

But again, that's depression, not writer's block. Depression where you don't do anything, including write.

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You're right. Depression and writer's block are two totally-different animals. Thanks for making me see the truth. I couldn't tell before this comment. That's why I love this place.

I believe in it and I have experienced it. It has usually happened when I have been on certain medications. Other times it struck when I was extremely depressed. Once I had a really nice mixed drink at about 7:00 at night (I think it was an exceptionally good mudslide) and then sat down to write. The aclohol totally killed my ability to write. There was a quiet and semi-paralizing lethargy there and I was unable to overcome it.

It's kinda like male impotence -- if you can't get it up, dammit, you can't get it up, no matter how hard you try.

Plot Device said:

I believe in it and I have experienced it. It has usually happened when I have been on certain medications. Other times it struck when I was extremely depressed. Once I had a really nice mixed drink at about 7:00 at night (I think it was an exceptionally good mudslide) and then sat down to write. The aclohol totally killed my ability to write.

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Or, instead of calling it WB, you could recognize it was the meds (possible to not take them or switch?), the depression (can't do anything), or the alcohol (don't drink).

We need an option for "I don't believe in writer's block and I have experienced it." Seriously! Plenty of us who don't believe it's a mysterious outside force have had long stretches where we felt we couldn't write. We've experienced it. We just realized the problem was internal and that the solution was to write anyway.

Libbie said:

We need an option for "I don't believe in writer's block and I have experienced it." Seriously! Plenty of us who don't believe it's a mysterious outside force have had long stretches where we felt we couldn't write. We've experienced it. We just realized the problem was internal and that the solution was to write anyway.

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Agree!