Unblocking the writer’s block

I woke up but I couldn’t move. There was a block above my head and fog inside my mind. Follow my stream of consciousness while I unpack 5 years of lies.

I would open my computer and just stare at it. I had no idea what to write although in the past I used to write and write and write about everything. What happened? I constantly tell people that I am a writer but I never show them my work. It almost feels like a lie that I tell myself so I can carry out with the day.

We have all been there. It is that feeling that you want to say something, you have so many thoughts going through your head but nothing is coming on paper (or computer). My notes are blank, my mind is full, and so it is yours.

Writer’s block. I feel it, I see it, I can almost describe it. I sit in front of the computer and I constantly think that maybe if I write this part here and now I will rewind and unblock and my thought process will be cleaner and simpler. It never happens. The truth is my block is psychological. It visible, it is there, it even has a name.

I was told not to write. My thoughts were beautiful but they should stay tucked somewhere else. It was great to everyone that I was a writer as long as nobody could read my writing. So that is what I did. I started lying. I said I was a writer, I have a book, I have an idea, a concept… and I have never said a bigger lie.

As time went I accepted the truth. It is okay to say “I am a writer” and then just nod and lie more. But in fact, it wasn’t okay. I was not a writer and it hurt me more than it ever could hurt anyone else. I haven’t written a single word in the past 5 years and it is a shame. Occasionally, when I get angry and I can’t do anything about it I would write long passages and hide them on my Google Drive and keep the lie “I am a writer.”

I went as far as telling people that I have a book coming, it is there, somewhere, in the making, at the back burner in my mind. It is not. There is no book, there is no story. There is only this writer’s block.

But enough of this lie. I am breaking the block, I am unmasking the truth, and here is how I did it.

1. Accept the inevitable

It took me ages to understand why I can’t write anything. The problem was that I was constantly distracted by social media, work, exams, family issues, love. I was oversaturated with the information I was getting. I was distracted, I always thought that somebody else somewhere is doing better than me and that there is no point in me writing anything.

What happened to me was a complete crash. After a very bad situation in my life (private life) I realized that I haven’t been devoting time and attention to my own thoughts. I was living somebody else’s desires and thoughts and I was inevitably causing my own block.

What I did is I pulled the plug on everything. I deleted almost all social media. I deleted all pictures, info, posts. I left a few pictures that I liked most and basic info like “female”. Next, I unfollowed all profiles of people and pages that make me feel bad about myself, unfriended lots of people that I didn’t like for various reasons, unsubscribed of all channels on Youtube.

2. Breathe in — breathe out

We often forget one very simple rule — relax, breathe in, breathe out. The art of calming your body before making any decision is one of the most valuable lessons I had to learn.

I started daily meditation, daily night routine of going early to bed, drinking a cup of tea, setting a dark mood, and unplugging from social media at least 20–30 min before falling asleep.

3. Consume content before you write content

Slowing down and taking control of my life wasn’t enough for me to suddenly start writing and publishing.

It took me 5 months of nonstop consuming various content. I am lucky that I study Literature as my main subject at my MA course so I had a choice and options for what type of content to read and where to start.

The step of actually going in the store and buying a book was tremendously healing and joyful. Instead of reading from my tablet or laptop, the feeling of paper in my hands felt amazing.

4. Overcoming psychological roadblocks

When you shut down the noise of life you are left with your soul and inevitably you have to converse with yourself. So I sat down and I started talking with myself. I told my self that I am not proud of what I have done so far, I cried and I said to myself that I let other people hurt me and tell me what to do. I explained to myself that there is absolutely nobody in this world who would care more about me besides myself. And it was liberating. Being honest and candid about my feeling and rediscovering my love for life, writing, content, creation, art was calming, and finally, I was at peace.

5. Don’t force it

Words are not coming yet and I am okay with this. What is more important is that I learned to let go and move on. I fully embraced my life as it is and I stopped lying that “I am a writer”. Instead, I say “I am trying to be a writer, I will let you know when I am there”.

How about you? What can you do to unblock the writer’s block?

Here are my top 10 steps to start with:

1. Don’t wait for something to come and throw you out of your dark place
2. Start with analyzing your life and events happening right now
3. Identify everything that makes you unhappy
4. Remove everything that is making you unhappy
5. Seek inspiration (read books, go in nature, hop on a new experience, travel)
6. Don’t think about writing, let it come naturally to you but…
7. …Write every day (one sentence, one line, one word)
8. Reread old works, restructure, redefine
9. Talk with somebody (even talking to yourself is helpful)
10. Breathe in — breathe out

Let me know in the comments below if you have ever had a writer’s block and what have you done to overcome it? Or if you are currently experiencing such a thing and what are you doing about it?