Why You Have Writer's Block & How to be Rid of it FOREVER.
I said what I said.
Writer’s block is treated as this mysterious enemy, with an intangible fortress that blocks creativity for sport.
But what if it’s not a blockage at all? What if your creativity lives inside a cup, and the condition of that cup determines whether you can access the magic?
Four ways your cup becomes an inadequate vessel for your creative slurry:
It’s Broken
It’s Empty
It’s Misplaced
Oof, You’ve Forgotten It.
This metaphor came to me while staring at a favorite mug—one decorated with cartoon versions of all the dogs I’ve ever had. They sit on a dock overlooking the water. The ones who’ve passed on have tiny angel wings. Cups often champion our thoughts, they can symbolize our outlook or emotional states: Half empty or half full? In Tarot, Cups represent emotions, My cup runneth over from Psalms, and let’s not forget the Holy Grail and all the Chalice-symbology. Well, I made big promises, so let’s get to it (It’s all right under that noodle thing below).
The Broken Cup:
You think you have writer’s block, but what you actually have is a gap in your craft. Your skillset needs refining. Maybe it’s time to take a workshop or read a craft book (A great starting point, The Making of a Story, by Alice LaPlante). The freeze is from a lack clarity on how to masterfully perform the task needed to move forward effectively. Maybe it’s writing an action scene, or maybe your dialogue is cumbersome and bogs down your scenes.
Or maybe your mentor keeps yelling at you to stop writing in passive voice, and you’re all like; Where have you seen a voice that was passive?
Writing effective prose requires an entire toolbox jam packed of skills that stop the drawers from shutting all the way, so don’t feel bad if you’re missing a few. Here’s what you do: describe the scene you’re struggling with to a peer or mentor. They can help you identify the comprised elements involved. Then they should read the preceding chapter and shine light on the areas dragging down the story and stealing confidence from your Muse. Now, you’re only a simple search away from the ability to improve and overcome: Substack or Audible’s how-to section, can be goldmines for this type of refinement in craft.
The Empty Cup:
You think you have writer’s block, but what you actually need is inspiration. What you put in spills out. Writer’s block most often stems from a lack of inspiration or topical knowledge (very different from a skill gap).
(This ties into something I’m passionate about—your diet isn’t just what you put in your stomach; it’s what you allow in through your eyes, ears, and yes, even your nose.)
Like an empty cup, there’s nothing to pour out onto the page; of course, until you refill it. This is the time to read, research, or immerse yourself in something new. What I like to do, is listen to audiobooks by people who truly believe in the topics that I write about as fiction. It’s an endless source of inspiration, and can be entertaining. You can also take a break and read other books in your genre—good books inspire good writers.
The Lost Cup:
You think you have writer’s block, but you actually just lost your cup! Darn. Your story is a mess, and you have no idea where you left it. Like a misplaced cup gathering dust in a moving box the attic, your story needs a rediscovery and a good rinse.
First-things-first: Open your synopsis—you do have a one-page synopsis, right? Right? Okay no need to panic, if not, you’ll want to do that first, then we’ll retrace your steps. This is where method-plotting can help:
On a sheet of paper, write your log line. This is a 1-2 sentence of what your story is about. Ie. When [protagonist] [inciting incident], they [confront challenge] to [protagonist's goal]
When Bobby accidentally blew up his dads car, he must enter a contest of life or death to win the prize to buy his dad another car, lest the world explodes.
Then break it into three parts: beginning, middle, and end.
Give the beginning 5 sentences, the middle 8-9, and the end 4-7.
Then, write one sentence per chapter summarizing what happens. If you get into a flow, break it down further into scenes.
This method should help you find your story again, renewed clarity in a path forward.
The Forgotten Cup:
You think you have writer’s block, but you actually just forgot your cup; left it in the car over the weekend. It’s 90-degree weather, and the remainder of what initially was a protein shake is growing sentient, and the neighbors are calling the humane society because they suspect a dead animal). You have to remember what’s in the cup!
Sometimes, we’ve simply forgotten our way because we forgot our why.
Your current project might not motivate you enough to sacrifice your time for it anymore. Maybe you’ve outgrown its themes, or you no longer believe in its message. Ask yourself: What do I want to say? What’s the message here? And then why am I writing this book? If the answer doesn’t make you feel anything other than dread, it might be time to set it aside for the moment, and move on to another project that speaks to your current passions. Starting something new can bring fresh energy and much needed perspective, but most importantly it can keep you writing, & enjoying your art.
Recently, I lost my cup. My story wasn’t going where I wanted, and after listening to the prose read back to me several times (in a horrible computer voice) I realized it was because I needed to raise the stakes. There just wasn’t enough to care about. Instead of succumbing to avoidance, I began to research: unique ways to increase drama without resorting to murder (actual or narrative). I found some incredible lists compiling tragic, but non-fatal plot-points—I will share these later—they’re great to have in your toolbox! The research led to new, fun, and rich storylines!
F I N A L T H O U G H T
Writer’s block is just a stop sign, a cue to take a moment and look for avenues with clear passage. Whether your cup is broken, empty, lost, or forgotten, the key is recognizing which kind of block you have and taking steps to address it:
Broken Cup: Identify skill gaps and work on them. Take a workshop, read a craft book, or practice specific techniques.
Empty Cup: Refill your creative well by reading, researching, or exploring new topics, or reading inside your genre.
Lost Cup: Retrace your steps, and methodically map out what needs to happen in each chapter to propel your story forward.
Forgotten Cup: Give yourself permission to start a new project if the current one is buried under desires for other projects and no longer satisfies “your why.”
Creativity isn’t a mystery—it’s a practice, an exercise. Keep your cup in full, intact, front and center; and the words will flow.
POEtic Threads!
For those of us who live in words, edit with caffeine, and revise until our eyelids stick to our scleras. POEtic Threads focuses on comfortable, wearable pieces, that nod to the writing life: for when you’re deep in the draft trenches, heading to a reading/book club, or just want to be cozy.
Valuable perspective framework, that can really apply to so many areas of life. Thank you for sharing!
Great post.