The Difference Between Procrastination and Being Blocked as a Writer
Writers often complain about two things: Procrastination and writer’s block. We don’t always think there is a difference, but identifying which one is the real problem can help you figure out a solution – and get back to writing.
I see Procrastination as a general attempt to avoid the work you know you should be doing. You may have an idea, you may know what comes next in your chapter, you may have a striking image for a poem – but for some reason, every time you tell yourself to sit down and write, whoops, you decide you need to do the dishes. Or play Candy Crush. Or scroll through Instagram. You tell yourself you want to write, but at the same time, you do everything you can to avoid writing.
Block is more specific. Being blocked means you don’t know what to write. Maybe you don’t know what project to tackle next – what your new book idea will be (do you even feel like writing anything, ever again?). Or maybe you don’t know what comes next in your story. No matter how you try to bang it out, nothing comes. Nothing good comes, anyway.
Of course, you may experience both at the same time. Not having an idea you’re on fire about, or not knowing what should come next for your characters, makes you reluctant to sit down and write. Sitting in the not-knowing, trusting that something good will come... that takes a lot of faith in your process. Or the reverse may be true: you’ve gotten so good at procrastinating, you haven’t written in weeks (or months) and you’ve kind of lost the thread of the story. The thing you were so on fire to write about has fizzled down to ashes.
So, how do you overcome these challenges? The first trick is, of course, identifying what exactly you’re dealing with – procrastination, block, or both.
First, recognize that writing is hard work. It takes a lot of mental energy. It takes focus and stamina. It takes faith, especially when it’s not going smoothly or you’ve experienced a lot of rejection. The more you beat yourself up about procrastinating or being blocked, the less you will feel like writing. It becomes a vicious cycle that is hard to break out of.
If you’re dealing with a block, there are a couple of things you can do:
Go for a long walk, without music, podcasts, or audiobooks
Brainstorm or mind map at least 20 ideas of what could happen next. Sketch out possible ways it could go from here
Envision 20 game changers that could happen that would turn the story around – a hurricane? Sudden appearance of a gun? Long-lost relative? Think waaay outside the box here. Don’t worry about whether it “fits” with your story. The point is to shake out some new ideas.
If you’re stuck on what to write next, check out my article “Help! I’m Out of Ideas!” Go for walks. Play. Take Artist Dates. Experiment with a new creative activity – watercolors, baking, photography. Take a class and learn something completely new. Write poetry, a picture book, a ghost story...
Write in your journal. Start anywhere in your scene, with a book idea, with a character. Keep going, even if all you write is “this is stupid, I have no ideas.” Eventually you WILL get an idea, I guarantee it. It’s like shaking the Magic 8 Ball until you get the answer you want.
If you find yourself procrastinating, here are a few tricks:
Don’t allow yourself to write. Tell yourself no matter what, you won’t be writing today. You can’t write for the next hour. Your brain may suddenly start craving the writing drug. Weird, but it works.
If you must, indulge in a little “creative procrastination.” Read a book on craft. Read up on marketplace trends. Do some research for your book. Don’t do this all the time – it can‘t take the place of actual writing – but allowing yourself to do it once in a while might get you jazzed to work on your project again.
Get an accountability partner or coach. Set a specific goal. Do regular check-ins to make sure you are meeting your deadlines.
Join a class or critique group where you there are deadlines for handing stuff in. External deadlines are a writer’s best friend.
If you tend to reach for food, video games, social media – anything to turn your mind off – then ask yourself what’s really going on. Why are you numbing out instead of doing something more meaningful? Be gentle here. It’s probably fear-driven, so the best thing to do is gently examine the fear and see it for what it is. Only then can you choose how you really want to deal with it. A journal may help. Or a therapist.
If you’re always hopping tech (new writing software? New platform?), or changing your writing space, or spending hours finding the perfect notebook, or waiting for the perfect amount of writing time, and the right time of day, just STOP the search for perfection. Do what you can, with what you have. Stop using all your energy on stuff that you can get away with “satisficing” - good enough is good enough.
Use tech to your advantage.
StikK has you set a goal, then also set painful financial consequences if you don’t meet it, such as money going to an organization you hate. Or you can opt for a Referee to keep you accountable, and also gather Supporters to cheer you on.
Website blockers: Here is a great list of 7 Best Apps to Help You Focus and Block Distractions . I use Self Control, because I don’t have any. It’s awesome. You put in the website(s) you want to avoid, and the length of time you want to avoid them, and presto – you cannot disable this thing. At all. There’s no way around it, you just have to wait. (Only available for Mac.) Cold Turkey has a Blocker for apps and websites, and a Writer option, that allows you to set a writing goal, and doesn’t allow you to do anything but type into that document until you’ve reached it. You want access to your email? Better get writing.
The Pomodoro Method, where you set a timer for 25 or 50 minutes and work without distraction is a great focusing tool. There are many online options and apps, or you can just use your phone/watch/timer.
What are your favorite methods of beating procrastination or block? Let us know in the comments!
