The #1 Enemy of Creative Types (And How to Avoid It)

I once had a student that would not put pen to paper. They were paralyzed. They had a five page paper due in two days and they had not written one word.

"What do you think is the problem?" I asked. 

"I have writer's block," she answered. 

"What do you mean by 'writer's block?'" I asked. 

"My mind is a complete blank. I literally can think of nothing to write about. I don't even want to think about this paper anymore because when I do, I just feel drained. This assignment is depressing me and I haven't even started it."

My student wasn't experiencing writer's block. She was experiencing something even more sinister.

Apathy.

But wait, I hear you say, how can one be said to be apathetic if there's evidence of trying?

The answer is that if you, as a writer, go chasing after topics and ideas about which you are not thoroughly interested, sooner or later, you may find yourself unmotivated and indifferent about your writing practice.

From Art Made From Books. Find it on Amazon.

My student's error occurred when she felt she had to pursue a topic that was completely out of her line of passion. She talked to me at length about what she has tried writing about and, from the attitude she displayed in listing these topics, even I was beginning to feel depressed about the assignment.

"Why are you taking this course?" I asked. 

"Because I'm really interested in parts of African cultures," she replied. 

"What parts?" 

"No, it's really off-topic," she replied.

The course I was teaching focused on peacemaking and conflict mitigation in the Sub-Saharan region of the world.

"Just tell me what it is about African cultures that made you enroll in the class." 

"The music," she answered.

Ah ha! As is sometimes the case, this student had a tangential interest in the course and was now struggling to situate her interests with the topic.

Without hesitation, I seized the moment.

"How do musical traditions in Sub-Saharan African countries contribute to peacemaking and conflict mitigation?"

You should have seen my student's eyes light up. It was as if a light had been switched on.

Long story short, the student left my office in a hurry and, on Friday morning (with a smile on her face), she proudly presented a very well-written and interesting paper on the topic I had suggested in our meeting.

What is irritating about writer's block is not that we can't seem to think of anything to write. The problem is that we have plenty to write about, but can't seem to capture the words for the thoughts zipping through our heads.

The lesson here is that, if creativity is part of our living, part of what we are expected to do as a function of our employment, we can sometimes get caught up in the actual assignments and lose sight of our passions. Sure, we all have to engage in topics that are not directly in our line of passion, but as creative people, we owe it to ourselves and our audience to find ways to incorporate our passions in everything we do. 

So the next time you feel yourself begin to panic or lose interest in an assignment, re-evaluate how you approach your task. Recall those topics and ideas about which you are really passionate, and then ask yourself how you can incorporate them into the work you must do. You, and your audience, will benefit from this practice.

Happy writing!

2 Ways to Keep Writing in Times of Crisis

From Art Made From Books. Find it on Amazon.com.

I have struggled for the past few days to come up with a brilliant topic for my next blog post. My struggle stems from living inside a whirling gyre of obligations that require my immediate and undivided attention.

Or, at least, that is what it seems to be.

But rather than fight "block" that often accompanies one or more life crises, I decided I would provide two ways to use your times of crisis to fuel your writing.

1) Write when you feel least like writing. How many times have you come across articles describing the multitude of "types" among writers? Are you a plotter or pantser? Are you a midnight writer, early riser, or mid-day muse? Do you write alone in a quiet organized area, or do you venture out to scribble while on a crowded train into the city?

Crisis doesn't care about your comfort zone. In fact, crisis requires that you step out of your comfort zone and complete tasks sans your comforts.

So, instead of waiting . . . and waiting . . . and waiting . . . and becoming more anxious about the fact that your perfect conditions for writing are too far out of reach, just start writing. Keep a writing instrument and something to write on with you at all times. And just start writing.

By calling upon yourself to do something in a time of crisis or in less than ideal conditions, you will not only improve your abilities to perform the task, you will quite possibly find that you gain a different perspective and understanding of the task at hand.

What better way to develop an exciting plot twist than to use your own life's plot twist as a catalyst?

2) Find ways to make writing part of the solution. For many young and novice writers, writing can, at first, seem to be part of the problem. What I mean by this is, writers sometimes see their writing practice as a problem to be solved, something 'other' that must be delicately folded into the otherwise normal aspects of the life they already possess.

When crises arise, even experienced writers may be tempted to put their writing on the back-burner, unable to justify fitting their writing habit into the day-to-day of managing difficult and threatening situations.

But if writing is your love, your passion, and your sanity, find ways to make writing a part of navigating and overcoming crises. Maybe the answer is submitting to trade magazines and trying your hand at freelance work. Perhaps writing a policy note or program evaluation note relevant to a job opportunity is the answer. You may even find that your crisis and your response to the crisis are excellent fodder for a personal essay or book. Write a proposal and see what hits.

Facing crises should not mean temporarily putting aside our paints, our pens, our dancing shoes, our music, or whatever activities we, for whatever reason, deem as impractical to finding appropriate solutions. These are the times when we need to harness our creativity and make use of our passions.


If you are going through some difficult times in your life, don't give up on the things that make you happy. The things that give you joy make enduring crises worth the struggle. 

Hang in there and happy writing!