Writerly Challenges and How to Overcome Them

by Cate Mahoney

I am a writer, and I’ve been a writer since I was taught in fourth grade how to write a book of poetry (a big deal at any age, although my English teacher got the entire class to finish their books! I’m not sure how she did it — probably magic). In this post, we will cover some of the challenges writers face and how we can overcome them. I am currently finishing my dissertation in English literature, so this post is for me as much as it is for you.

Writer’s block strikes — the dreaded stiffening of the fingers on the keyboard! You don’t know how you are going to finish the task. You are uninspired. You are tired. You are feeling creatively out of juice, like a lime that’s been squeezed for a promised margarita that never arrives.

Here are a few tips that I’ve found work for me when I feel like I’m up against a wall, and the wall is a blank Word document.

  • Set a goal of writing a little each day, and do not (DO NOT!) judge the contents of that writing. I find a paragraph a day is a good baseline because it’s meaty enough that you feel like you’ve made movement but it’s small enough that if you’re really dreading the task, it’s manageable. We all have four sentences in us, no matter how long they are.
  • If that baseline isn’t cutting it, resort to bullet points. Just get your ideas out there, in list form. You can think of this like an outline that will gracefully glide into great prose later on. And it will! You can always refine; right now all you need to do is get your thoughts down on paper. This tip works as well when you’re revising a piece of writing — it’s called the reverse outline. Read over your text, paragraph by paragraph, and distill the ideas into one sentence. Then you can reorganize your “sentences” and turn the piece into something that flows more cleanly.
  • Do not consider the project as a whole. There’s a time for that, but it’s not this time, when you are frozen. Think only about the task at hand, and that task may only be a paragraph – and that’s okay.
  • Change your location! If you write at home often, go to a coffeeshop or a nearby library. If you write at a coffeeshop, go to another one. If you are sick of the library, stay at home! You need a change of scenery to help you focus. Although I usually write from home, I get easily distracted by playing with my dog or eating what’s in my fridge. Since I prefer silence when I write, it helps me to go to my local university library where I am around other writers writing. I feel held accountable if I go to check email or YouTube, and the idea of people seeing me slack off makes me approach my project with gusto. When I’m tired, or sitting in the new place becomes less enjoyable, I leave before I get frustrated.
  • Take a break. I know it seems counterproductive to recommend not writing when the whole idea is that you need to write, but if you have time (and are not under an extremely strict deadline), step away from the work. Your brain is amazing, and it will think through the creative problem while you’re not stressing over how miserable you feel. Take this from me: I recently went into a full-blown panic about whether I had to change the entire landscape of my dissertation. I was a mess for three days; I just kept staring at my computer, berating myself for possibly needing to take more time before I could finish. Then I just stopped; I took a breather. I watched Grey’s Anatomy. I cooked; I hung out with friends. Then I saw what my next move was, and I was back at the computer, back in the library. It will happen – be kind to yourself.
  • In a similar vein – go exercise. Take the dog for a long walk and bring a notepad and pen. You will be outside, observing the world, and something will click for your brain. You will be inspired, because you are breathing fresh air. Go to the gym! Take an exercise class. You will stretch your body and sweat and get out all the stiffness from sitting unhappily in a chair all day, trying to eek out words. You will pour sweat, and it will help. I promise!
  • Let technology help you. When you’re ready to head back to the computer, I can recommend some apps. My two favorites are Strict Workflow and BlockSite. Both sit right in your web browser. Strict Workflow enforces a workflow by blocking sites that distract. The default setting is 25 minutes of distraction-free work, followed by a five-minute break when you can check email, check Twitter, etc. The timer is a friendly tomato, which turns green when it’s break time. BlockSite is a more utilitarian app, and the name says it all. You make a list of the sites that easily draw you away from your writing task, and you tell the app to block them. Unlike Strict Workflow, BlockSite is not timed, so you will have to be more proactive.

Please let me know in the comment section below your tips and tricks! Writing is hard, but it’s also worth it. Get cracking!