Writer’s Block
Chelsea Catherine
Blog 15: 3/11/2021
Writer’s Block is one of the scariest things a writer can face. Lots of times when I’m teaching a class or talking with someone about writing, they ask me how I deal with writer’s block, if I deal with it. I usually tell that I don’t think writer’s block exists.
Sometimes life is harder to deal with and sometimes things feel easier. Stress and routine play a big part in writing, and sometimes we’re so tired or distracted by another issue that the words just don’t seem to come. For some, it’s terrifying. Many wonder if they will ever get through it or if they’ll get stuck in this tense non-writing phase forever.
I’ve been writing for over twenty years now and I’ve found that it comes and goes. There are months where I do nothing but write. Then I’ll have a few weeks where there is just nothing left to put on the page. And that’s okay. Some days are meant for writing and some days are meant for doing the living that is so necessary to write.
For as long as I’ve been writing, I’ve had down periods. I let them come and try not to freak out about them too much. There is still a small voice of panic that surfaces each time I come to a pause. I tell myself I should be writing. What else would I be doing? I need to focus. I could make it happen if I tried hard enough. A lot of us put ourselves under a lot of pressure to create when our bodies and minds are asking for a break. Millennials, in particular, have been taught that all our hobbies must be productive – we must make money from them or profit from them in some way. But sometimes that’s not the case, and that’s okay. We have to take care of ourselves and rest when we need.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to accept needing time to relax and regroup. I try to be kind to myself and forgive myself when I push too hard. I hope now that people are getting vaccinated, and some parts of life seem to be getting “back to normal” that we all remember the challenges this last year has given us. It’s okay to rest and recover when our bodies tell us to.
