What Writer’s Block Feels Like?

“Eh? What does that even mean?” For all those who were plagued by this question, let me start at the very beginning. According to Wikipedia (because, why not?), “Writer’s Block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author loses loses the ability to produce new work or experiences a creative shutdown.” Just fifty-nine words and one hundred sixty-seven characters (yes, I counted them!) might seem enough for some of you, but for some of those who have been a victim of writer’s block almost perpetually, even a hundred page novel would not be enough to describe what it means to go through writer’s block. And yes, I am very well aware that my lines sound like as if I’m describing depression, and I perhaps am, because writer’s block feels very much like depression to me.

Well, firstly, let me tell you that writer’s block is like a jealous boyfriend that cannot tolerate the idea of living with self-esteem under the same roof.

Simply put, when writer’s block hits you (more like completely surrounds you) words don’t come to you. 

You’re ready to write, sitting in a cozy position by the window, book in your lap, your flourish pen in your hand, a cup of freshly brewed coffee by your side, but just end up staring at the blank page for ages. You just can’t seem to get that first line right, or you just can’t get the title of the next chapter. The point is that something that comes naturally to you just deludes your mind. Sometimes, you might even be able to pen a few lines, but even the most biased opinion (even your mother’s opinion) would reveal that your writing is not up to the mark. And that would take your day from bad to worse.

One more thing which is very common is that psychologically, when you’re going through a writer’s block, you are more likely to come across beautifully written words that leave a deep impression on the readers. And then the first though you come up with is, “Why does this happen to just me?” And this brings us back to the issue of self-esteem, where you start feeling that there’s something wrong with you, and that is why you’re always the victim of writer’s block. (But believe me, a lot of people go through writer’s block at one time or the other. It’s not like you’re an alien.)

And then for most cases (this happens in my case every single time), you end up either spending your time mindlessly surfing through social networking sites or you go through a lot of self- help blogs in order to get tips to combat writer’s block. While they might help some people, I'm so tired of all the process of writing that I go through the words, but do not even process them in my mind.

And all of these processes bring us to the one thing that writers are famous for- Mood Swings. 

And as you probably know, since you’re emotionally connected to what you’re writing (in one way or the other), your emotions are heavily affected by the progress you make in writing. And on those days when you’re going through writer’s block, your frustration gets transferred to humans. You end up shouting at nobody and everybody for nothing and everything. Even a cup of freshly brewed coffee or a read of your favorite book isn’t enough to bring your back to normalcy. Your eyes are drooping, your head is splitting and your heart’s breaking, but you can’t do anything.


In the end, all I want to say is, don’t worry about the writer’s block, sleep on it and everything will eventually be alright. (And even if it doesn’t, a bit of sleep never hurt anyone)



Written by Aneri Doshi
What makes my heart race? Books, Coffee and Rain