Do the metaphors we use to describe problems mislead us about how to solve them? “Writer’s block” suggests that there’s some obstruction or repressed memory that must be cleared out of the way before the words can flow—some mysteriously located golf ball in our mental garden hoses—that the problem is deeply psychological, not one of craft.
But I find that when I know exactly what I want to write about, I don’t have writer’s block. I only have it when I sit down in front of a blank screen or page with no purpose or assignment in mind. So maybe it’s not a block at all but just a lack of clarity or rudimentary planning. Like trying to draw something without anything in front of you to draw. Or building a house without an architectural drawing. (Or wood or nails.)
Maybe instead of thinking of it as writer’s block, think of it as “I haven’t decided what to write about yet,” then go do something else until you decide on something.
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