Writer’s block manifests at different stages of the creative process, and at different levels of severity — from brainstorming to beginning to blocked to burned out.
A “spectrum” usually represents a range or continuum of elements in some kind of order, but the writer's block spectrum isn’t a rigid linear structure. It metaphorically represents the diverse challenges writers face, from temporary blocks to persistent struggles like burnout.
Stages of the Writer’s Block Spectrum
Ubiquitous
Beginning
Blank
Periodic
Finishing
Persistent
Burnout
Fearful Questions
Writer's block is essentially a manifestation of fear expressed through the internal questions we ask ourselves out of anxiety or self-doubt.
The questions you find yourself asking are clues to the stage you’re in. You could also think of a stage as the type of writer’s block you’re experiencing.
“What if I can’t pull this off?”
“What if I’m not good enough?”
“What if I pick the wrong project?”
“Where do I start?”
“What happens next?”
“Where am I going with this?”
“Where’s the issue?”
“What am I trying to say?”
“What if I fail?
“What if I succeed?”
“Will I ever be able to write again?”
“What happens if I can’t ever write again?”
Ubiquitous
Ubiquitous blocks manifest at any stage of the creative process:
Resistance
Perfectionism
Procrastination
Overthinking
Self-doubt
Fear of judgment
Fear of failure
Impostor syndrome
External pressures — distractions and deadlines
“What if I can’t pull this off?”
“What if I’m not good enough?”
Ubiquitous blocks can be brief, frequent, temporary, or persistent.
Beginning | Brainstorming | Getting Started
Too many choices at the start of a project — combined with over-analysis and indecision — can lead to writer’s block.
There is almost always a connection between beginning blocks and ubiquitous fears.
You experience:
lack of inspiration
lack of routine
lack of structure
You have trouble:
picking a genre
committing to an idea
choosing a direction
identifying a specific goal
“What if I pick the wrong project?”
”Where do I even start?”
Beginning stage blocks are usually temporary, but they can extend indefinitely if not interrupted with a choice or decisive action.
Blank Screen | Blank Page | Blinking Cursor
Going “blank” can happen at any time.
It’s often in the middle of a project, but at the beginning of something:
the next beat
the next scene
the next chapter
the next book (in a series)
the next post
the next newsletter
the next writing session
“What happens next?”
“Where am I going with this?”
Frequency varies; duration varies. It might happen repeatedly, with each instance being relatively brief. Or it might only happen once, but take longer to move past. The “blanks” are nearly always temporary.
Periodic Block
Periodic blocks can overlap with the “blanks” and most commonly manifest as being “stuck” in the work-in-progress.
Blank Screen | Blank Page is most associated with first drafts; Stuck in the Work-in-Progress with editing and rewriting.
Periodic blocks can be rare, infrequent, or possibly cyclical.
Frequent periodic blocks may have a discernible pattern.
One of my rapid-release author friends who writes a book a month says she gets “stuck” at the same stage of every book.
(Most professional writers who’ve worked on a lot of projects over time don’t necessarily consider being “stuck” the same thing as “writer’s block.” It’s an expected part of the creative process.)
Period blocks probably isolate themselves to the project or the creative process.
They’re either related to structural issues, or you’re unclear about your goals.
“Where’s the issue?”
“Where did I go off track?”
The durations of periodic blocks varies, but they are temporary. No matter how brief, they still feel too long.
Finishing
Finishing stage blocks mirror — or bookend — Beginning stage issues. They’re ubiquitous fears like impostor syndrome and perfectionism manifesting at a different stage of the creative process.
While Beginnings are about too many choices, lack of decisive action, and an abstracted ideal, in the Finishing stage, you’re looking at the reality of what’s already on the page, which is far from the perfect, unformed concept you had in your head before starting.
You’ve made all the choices, for good or bad.
You have limited options.
You’re both proud of your progress and disappointed with your product.
You’ve come so far; there’s no turning back or starting over.
Although you’re exhausted, you’re so close to the destination.
The only way out is through.
“What if I fail?
“What if I succeed?”
Finishing blocks tend to be brief because the finish line is close enough to pull you through. Or, you declare a project “done” because you’ve reached the point where you’re sick of it.
(If you keep writing but never quite finish projects, don’t send them out, don’t post or publish them, there’s something subconscious going on. We’ll talk about subconscious sources in the next few emails.)
Persistent Blocks
Factors beyond the project cause prolonged periods of being unable to write.
External pressures:
family
work (day job)
finances
interruptions
deadlines
Internal pressures:
mental health
physical limitations
chronic illness
fatigue
exhaustion
see Ubiquitous fears above
Strategies and systems that would normally help are failing.
You start to panic that it’s not temporary this time, which exacerbates the pressure and blocks.
The external and physical culprits are obvious, but persistent blocks are often — at least partially — subconscious.
“What’s the source?”
“Where’s this coming from?”
(We’ll talk about identifying the sources of our blocks in the next email.)
Persistent blocks feel like they might never end. Or that they’ll keep recurring.
It’s going to take more than “tips and tricks” to get out of this loop.
Burnout
Burnout is #5 of the Top 20 struggles most often cited by writers.
It’s a distinct and severe stage of a creative block that’s much more serious and long-lasting than writer’s block, although the symptoms often present together.
Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by stress, overworking, self-imposed pressure, and forcing the writing in spite of difficult circumstances.
It can happen to writers of any genre, at any part of the writing process, at any level of success, and at any stage of their careers.
A lack of motivation and interest in writing can make you unwilling and unable to do the work you love, and it can lead to you question your entire identity and sense of purpose.
“Will I ever be able to write again?”
“What happens if I can’t ever write again?”
It’s more likely for someone who’s farther along in their career, or producing for an extended period, to experience burnout from the work itself, or a combination of the work, external factors, and subconscious internal factors.
You might also want to start writing, but you’re burned out from other areas of your life — day job, family, external stresses.
We think of burnout as if it’s simply the most advanced stage, but it can be the inciting incident for writer’s block. Burnout can occur at any phase of the creative process, exacerbating blocks associated with that stage.
Let’s be honest — burnout can last a long time.
But you absolutely can come back from it, with time, patience, self-compassion, and support.
I wrote during burnout.
I wrote through burnout.
I’m writing my way back from burnout with this project.
Nobody’s life — or mind — is a straight line.
Burnout can make you feel like you’re going in circles — the exhaustion triggering more blocks that lead you deeper into burnout.
But it’s a spiral.
Time is passing.
It’s a question of prolonging it by being in denial about it.
You’re either spiraling down or climbing up and out.
Finding clarity about the stage of your writer’s block — and the source of your blocks — is crucial to determining the right strategies to address it.
The next email in The Writer’s Reboot series is a self-reflection exercise to identify the source of your blocks.
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