Types of Writer's Blocks

Are you a writer? Are you not? Are you someone who writes occasionally, or do you not write at all? Whatever it is, you have certainly come across the term 'Writer's Block'. 

A creativity block, in general, is the inability of a person to think, process and perform normally in one's field of art. As vicious as it sounds it is all the more striking to realise there has been a specific creativity block that is strongly associated with writers and that is, you know it, the writer's block.

From getting into writing just as a hobby, to setting up a blog website, to ensuring I keep up with my consistency and failing quite a few times, I've come to realise that writer's blocks can actually be very varied even when all these added flavours can stick to the precise definition of what a writer's block is (which, by the way, actually has no precise definition, like most personal encounters and experiences). So here it is on what I think can be few of the types of writer's blocks.

1. The busy brain drama:

  The floating theory that your brain has to be relatively relaxed while writing (doesn't necessarily apply for personal journalling though, since a lot of times personal journalling can make a frustrated mind fall into a calmer state) can hold true in so many cases where you have to appropriately structure and organise your thoughts (imaginative or real). The brain presumably cannot create or replicate what's in your mind when it's pulled down by a couple of other things. And even if it does, you'll begin to notice a block within your own plot line.

Almost like your brain refusing to write when you truly want to put something out. See. Drama!

2. The flow frustration:

  Ever come to write something on your own and it makes perfect sense in your head but as you write it down, you realise it won't turn out well since it doesn't have a natural flow? Then you have come across what I would label, 'the flow frustration'.

This could happen with absolutely anything - a story, an essay, a book, anything. The fact is, you've come to realise the tension between the way you've built your writing and the conclusion. So now you either throw that piece and start all over again or spend sufficient time editing and rewriting to ensure it has a flow. The lack of flow and the inability to follow it up with building up a smooth storyline can be quite a bang-head-against-the-table frustration.

3. The conclusion collapse:

  Very similar to the flow frustration except here, you have everything figured, besides the conclusion. Trust me, a conclusion collapse is way more scarier than not having flow and is personally my least liked of all writer's blocks.

The conclusion collapse is also very popular when it comes to patenting which is under science writing. The whole process of writing down what you've been doing to get to this product to how this product could be used might be easy until you have to conclude on how you think this will benefit humanity as a whole or a certain community of humans. Quite a conclusion collapse you might end up facing at that point of time.

4. The audience compulsion:

  Having an audience is great and is essential if you want to keep writing as a regular practise but let's face it - an audience can end up setting standards for you that you don't want to conform to or a label into what type of a writer you are while you on the other hand might want to explore newer styles and genres of writing.

How many authors do we know who have lost their creativity because they had to fall into the extremely fluctuating audience compulsion? Believe it or not, that does create a creativity block and that is not a nice thing!

5. The PTSD block:

  Regardless of how our culture has grown to deny Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and even term it as weak minded or cowardly, there is medical evidence that PTSD can be extremely common regardless of whether or not the person is diagnosed with a mental disorder.

Sometimes, this stress can sort of "numb" your brain into systematically putting your thoughts down. Although this is extremely temporary and will not last more than a few months this, in my observation, is the writer's block most of the people in my age group usually face.

6. The digital/ manual inefficiency:

  This is something a lot of you will disagree with but is true for me. While most people I know compose new things on their phones and laptops some feel creativity spring out more only through the pen and paper method. I have tried many times to journal on my phone and have failed over and over again because my heart cannot come in terms with not straining my hand. And so all my personal experiences are physically written and only then, if needed, are typed out.

Realising that this wouldn't work for me very well once I'm no longer a student I've started to take efforts to write simpler things (like what you're reading right now) on my phone. Hopefully this hasn't caused much difference to the reader - or if it has, let me know.

Also, I'm still uninformed on whether this can hold true vice versa, that is, 'Can someone who is used to digital writing face a creative block when suddenly exposed to manual writing?'. I have no idea but if you do, again, let me know!

So there you have it, the Types of Writer's Blocks by someone who had a PTSD block before writing this, had to overcome the audience compulsion and digital inefficiency while writing this and almost had a conclusion collapse until this came out. Until you have written and rewritten several times, you will never come to understand how writing can be a struggle, even if it is your heart and soul. Truly, a lot of us (myself included) have failed to appreciate any fully developed piece simply because we do not see the struggle behind it. Nevertheless, I see a ray of hope as I'm starting to see a culture where writers of varied genres, styles and age groups begin to bond over the very peculiar phenomenon of 'Writer's Block'. So if science says it's naturally healthy and even indicates to it as a period of growth, can we please have more discussions and confessions on the extremely unpopular writer's block?