If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a zillion times: “I can’t write — I have writer’s block!”

The question I pose to you is: does writer’s block even exist? Are you really “blocked” or is something else going on?

I’ve never really experienced writer’s block myself. Oh sure, I’ve had times when I didn’t feel motivated to write, or times when the work had to be pulled out of my head like a sore tooth. But blocked? Nope.

I suppose there might be a literal “writer’s block” where a person is actually unable to write, perhaps due to some sort of brain injury. However, I think — when people use the term — they’re actually meaning one of the following:

1. “I don’t feel inspired.” This is a normal feeling. You’re not going to feel the finger of God (or your muse) whenever you sit down to work. Writing is as much a job as is anything else. It’s hard. It’s grinding. It can be boring and tedious. The way around this type of “block” is to keep slogging away. Nobody else is ever going to see your first draft, after all. Just get the words out. Worry about editing the piece later.
2. “I can’t think of what happens next.” This type of “block” is a signal from your brain. Somewhere along the line, you’ve gotten off onto the wrong track and your brain knows it. The solution to this “block” is to backtrack. Read over your entire work and see where it veered off onto that track. This will likely be an “Aha!” moment where your brain goes “Yo! Right here!” Now start right at that point and go where your brain suggests, in a different direction.
3. “This hurts.” This type of “block” is where you realize that, in order to finish your piece, you’re going to have to dig deep and expose more of yourself than you want to. You’re going to have to make yourself vulnerable by sharing something meaningful from yourself. If you’re going to be a successful writer, however, you’re going to have to get past this fear. Yes, it’s going to hurt when you expose your vulnerable side — but it must be done if you ever want to connect with your readers in any meaningful way.
4. “I’m bored.” Welcome to the real world. Writing, like any other job, can be boring. You feel as if you’re writing the same old thing over and over. It’s stale. The solution to this “block” is to put whatever is boring you aside for a bit and go do something else. Preferably something entirely different. Take a walk or paint something. Crochet a doily or sweep the kitchen. If you’re meant to be a writer, you’ll find that as you do that other thing, your writing will creep back into your thoughts and you’ll find a new excitement or a new direction.
5. “My writing is horrible.” There are two solutions to this problem. 1) Your writing may actually be horrible — full of grammatical errors and logical inconsistencies and unrealistic characters. If this is the case, you’re going to need to do some real work and learn the craft. Start reading more. The more you read, the more you see how it’s done. Also read “How To” books and learn what you should be doing. Keep practicing, but learn how to write before you try to finish anything. 2) Your writing is too familiar to you. You’ve gotten lost in the forest and can’t see the trees any longer. This is a normal feeling, especially when you’re first starting out. The solution to this “block” is to keep going. You have my permission to write crap. After all, as the saying goes, “You can’t edit a blank page.” Get the words down, then worry about editing them into perfection later.

These five problems — not “blocks” — can be solved in various ways. You can keep writing. Writing a blog is writing. So is writing an email. Even if you need to take a short break from your main project, keep writing.

What do you do when you hit a “block”?

Right now, I’m fighting off some sort of virus. My gut instinct is to curl up in bed, wrap the blankets around myself, and sleep for two days. However, that’s not going to get this book finished.

Here are some tips you can use to work through those times when you just don’t feel like it:

• Set a time limit – this is a useful technique at any time, but when you’re not feeling the muse, it’s helpful to set a shorter time – maybe 15-20 minutes as opposed to 30-60.
• Try some writing exercises – if your brain’s just not running on all cylinders, try doing some freewriting with that next scene, or work on your outline instead of plotting. So long as you’re headed in the right direction, it’s OK if you’re not moving at full speed.
• Pamper yourself – get out the laptop and crawl into bed with those blankets. Make a pot of hot tea. Have some of those cookies or a slice of that pie if you want. Give yourself a little pampering, then get some work done.
• Take a break – give yourself a 5-10 minute break every now and then. Maybe take that little nap – but set the alarm and don’t sleep the day away.
• Exercise – if you’re sick, you don’t want to do a lot of heavy work, but a walk around the block will perk you up and keep your blood pumping.
• Treat what’s wrong – if you need medication, go ahead and take it instead of trying to tough things out. The same goes for a trip to the doctor if it’s warranted.