Writer’s block is the condition of being unable to create a piece of written work because something in your mind prevents you from doing it.
The term was coined in 1947 by Dr Edmund Bergler, a famous Austrian psychiatrist living in New York City.
Teaching comes naturally to me because I view it as a real-time storytelling experience between myself and my students. I do not teach grammar in a dull manner; instead, I incorporate storytelling into my teaching approach.
I believe that writing is the true form of storytelling, and I have seldom experienced writer’s block. I struggle the most with maintaining consistency in my writing because sometimes my texts come across as frail when I am feeling very tired. I do not recognize my voice in them.
At times, I experience a lack of fresh ideas since I strive to write original content consistently. Sometimes the images I intend to convey through my stories appear to be blurry.
The medicine for that is to stop writing and start reading. I read everything I could find in my library. Anyhow, I have a lot of books on my must-read list. And I believe in Taleb’s antilibrary.
“Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection of unread books an antilibrary.” – The Black Swan, Nassim Taleb
After a few days, my writing voice is back. The most inspirational writers for me are: John Fowles, Somerset Maugham, Jack London.
If I were to pursue a career as a novelist, my aspiration would be to write at least half as well as the aforementioned writers.
What about you? How do you beat writer’s block?
What’s your secret to unlocking the creative floodgates when the words just won’t flow?
Art – Vanessa Bell – Interior with the Artist’s Daughter, 1935
