At some point, every writer goes through a rut where you cannot even put pen to paper. You feel overwhelmed and pressured. The pressure may be coming from others and their opinions of your work, but more commonly we writers put too much pressure on ourselves. High expectations destroy our creativity. Especially with the presence of social media, we begin comparing our work to others.
In order to get out of this writer’s block, I decided to go back to basics. Writing things simply. I believe it is better to value quantity over quality when you are in writer’s block. As long as you have some material to work with, you can always polish it later on into a quality piece of work. I also needed to communicate my artistic vision, not necessarily other people’s interpretations of my stories. I found that when other people involved themselves in my work, they began to direct my writing and overrule my artistic independence.
I think it’s important to ask yourself why you write. Do you write for the acceptance of other people? Do you write to be accepted into a certain industry? Or do you write for yourself? In hindsight, I lost my way and began to tell my story the way others wanted it to be told. There is no shame in this, indeed there are many writers that want to fit into a specific genre or bracket. However, the fantasy novels I have been writing for years mean a lot to me personally. I would like for the stories to be published one day, but even if they do not, I will still value my work.
I think as much as writer’s block is frustrating, it is an opportunity for you to reflect on yourself and your work. Maybe you do need time away from writing to come back and realise that you love your work. You decide what opinions and feedback you take on board. Ultimately, writing is subjective. One person may love the way you write and others will struggle to understand it. The thing that really matters is whether you like it.
Sophie Creates 