Friday, July 07, 2017

A Misdiagnosis

We writers all face a problem at some point or another. This problem has plagued many an author over the ages. It is a ferocious beast, one that freezes us with a cold uncertainty. None are above it; all are susceptible.
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The problem? Writer's block.

Or is it?

I've been mentally debating this for a little while now, and I have to wonder if writer's block is the only monster out there in the world of crafting stories. I think it has an older brother that's the root of the plague. It disguises itself as something else and calls itself writer's block.

In other words, I believe we've been misdiagnosing the problem here.

Now, that's not to say writer's block isn't a valid issue. It is! There are times when you hit an obstacle that blocks off your flow of creativity. But there's also more to this than meets the eye.

Let's use our imagination for a bit. (I'm assuming you guys can, since you're writers too, or even just humans in general.) Let's pretend you have a friend who's sick. They've gone to see a doctor about it, and they've been prescribed to some medicine. There are certain steps they have to take in order to get their health about.

One day, while you two are talking, your friend mentions it to you. You've had the same sickness in the past, so you ask them about the symptoms. They tell you about them, and you realize that something's wrong here: the symptoms aren't the same ones you had. You were told back then that there's a similar sickness. Your friend has been misdiagnosed.

Can you imagine what kind of consequences could ensue? If you treat a medical issue wrongly, you can become worse because of it. In the same fashion, when writers encounter this mysterious creature in their journey and label it as "writer's block," they will treat it as such. And this could do more harm than good.

So, then, what are we actually up against here?

Writer's doubt.

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You see, you cannot deal with doubt in the same fashion as a lack of creative ideas. If you're suffering from writer's block, you can problem-solve your way out of the situation, and you can often enlist the help of others. When facing doubt, it's up to you--and only you--to break past and keep going.

What makes doubt such a crippling foe? When you doubt yourself and your writing, you question if you're any good at what you do. You think no one would ever want to read what you have to say. If the doubt is strong enough, you may even consider calling it quits. This issue springs forth from your self-worth, or lack thereof. You are the only person who determines if you'll move forward and keep running the race set out before you . . . or if you'll get tired of running and walk away from it all.

I think we encounter this problem at least once, if not multiple times, in our life. Even if you're not a writer, you can still wrestle with this debilitating doubt. Sometimes, when I've had long spans of not writing, I wonder if part of the reason for that was because I felt I didn't measure up.

Now the question is, if writer's doubt is such a big problem that needs to be discussed, how do we deal with it? That will be the subject of a future blog post. For now, I needed to present the issue and see what you think. We're all in this together. None of us are above experiencing doubt in our stories. We must all take a stand and fight back, because we know we are doing what God has called us to do. That knowledge alone is the start of beating back the monster.

What do you think? Is doubt the beast lurking under the name of "writer's block"? Have we been misdiagnosing the problem? If not, do share why! I'm curious to hear all of your thoughts.

14 comments:

  1. This is a very thought provoking post! And I 100% agree that doubt is one of the biggest struggles we writers face. Our entire craft is about "being good enough", about producing the types of things people want to read. About using using pretty much every waking second poring ourselves into our stories (because even when we're not writing, we're THINKING about it), and then having to let people READ them. Our writing is our heart, and with that comes many doubts and fears. It's unlike any other job in the world. A loooot of emotion comes with it. So yes, writer's doubt is a HUGE issue with the writing community.

    Though, I will say, I personally think "writer's block" stems from many, many different things. I've had writer's block plenty of times when I'm actually feeling good about my story and WANT to write, I'm just stuck with the plot. Or I'm feeling brain dead and just can't think of what to write next because I'm too tired or unmotivated.

    So I definitely agree that doubt is a big root for writer's block. But I also think it comes from other things as well.

    I look forward to your post about dealing with doubt! It is absolutely something that needs to be discuss and dealt with. As I said at the start, it's one of the biggest struggles we writers face!

    Thanks for the great post!

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    1. That's what I had hoped it would be. Well-said! I don't think I could've phrased that better myself. It makes me think of a scene in The Flash, when two characters are talking about Barry (who's the Flash, if you didn't know). One character remarks how a physical opponent won't be the hero's downfall; it'll be him doubting himself.

      I didn't mean to come across as saying that doubt was the only root of writer's block. The problem has many roots, and doubt happens to be one of the larger ones. That's all I meant by it.

      I'll probably be posting it later this month. I need to give it more brain space for pondering.

      You're most welcome! ^_^

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  2. Awesome post! I'm dealing with some writers block rn. (Man I hate it XD) Maybe it is doubt, maybe it is because we dont feel like writing wait, thats called being lazy-not lazy, uhm I can't think of the word rn!
    I cannot wait until you post how to deal with it!

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    1. Thanks, Sarah! Writer's block definitely isn't fun. If you ever need any brainstorming help, just let me know. :) Are you thinking of procrastination? Although I sometimes don't write because I'm lazy. *hides my face in shame* XD

      It should be out in the next few weeks.

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  3. Excellent post!
    Now that you mention it, I can see that this may have been the reason I put some of my stories aside. I don't think it's quite my main issue- writer's block can be made of so many factors- but it's an issue nonetheless.

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    1. Thank you, Blue! :D

      Are they stories you'd want to return to? Quite right; writer's block is a multifaceted issue. I don't think doubt has really been properly addressed among writers.

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  4. I think this is spot-on! So often I say I'm suffering writer's block when, if I'm truly being honest with myself, I doubt my dream of being a writer. That doubt feeds into a "I'm not good enough" mentality that blocks my writing process, rather than there truly being an obstacle to my creative juices. Thanks for the great post!

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    1. Thanks! I'll definitely be addressing the lie of "I'm not good enough" in the sequel post. It's one that's common in any sphere of life, unfortunately. You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it. :D

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  5. Wow. I just found your blog, and this was a great first post for me to read! Very thought provoking. And I think you're right - to an extent. Like Christine said, writers block stems from many things. I think the type of writers block where you're not "feeling" it has this at its root. Often times I'll get blocked though when I don't know what I'm writing next. That type of block is more of a "I feel like I'm trying to climb out of quick sand" feeling. In other words, there are several different types of writers block and, as a result, different roots to all of them. And this is certainly a big one! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to read more from you!

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    1. Welcome here, Hannah! I hope you'll continue to come back in the future--no pressure or anything. XD I had tried not to come across that way. My apologies if I made it sound like doubt was the only type of writer's block. You're very welcome. I shall definitely keep posting in the future. ^_^

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  6. Great introductory to this topic, bro! I don't know if I've ever seen it approached this way. Like others have said, there are many reasons we stall out as writers, but I agree that doubt is a HUGE one! I've been fending off that monster lately myself. :) Looking forward to more on the subject!

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    1. Thank you, sis! Indeed, doubt is one of the biggest problems ANYONE faces in their lifetime. Well, I hope you were able to defeat it swiftly. ;) I shall be writing up the next post soon.

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  7. This is a great post, Josiah! I know I struggle a lot with writing doubts A LOT. They are so, so hard. But it's so important to just give everything to God in prayer and He'll guide us through. ^_^

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    1. Thanks, Madeline! Yeah, they can definitely look extremely tough to beat at times. That's very true. Giving up your cares and worries to Him is a big step to getting rid of the doubt. :)

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