50 Writers on Writer's Block

 

Writer's block is when the reader in you isn’t loving the writer. – John Mayer

 

Nothing's a better cure for writer's block than to eat ice cream right out of the carton. – Don Roff

 

I don’t think that writer’s block exists really. I think that when you’re trying to do something prematurely, it just won’t come. Certain subjects just need time. . . . You’ve got to wait before you write about them. – Joyce Carol Oates

 

All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?  – Philip Pullman

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There’s no such thing as writer’s block.
That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.

Terry Pratchett

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Writer’s block is an excuse to goof off, be lazy, and procrastinate. Professionals don’t tolerate so-called writer’s block. If you are well enough to sit up and take nourishment, you can write. If you can’t do this, find an easier craft — such as chess grandmaster, rocket scientist, or neurosurgeon. – Peter A. Schaible

 

Blocks usually stem from fear of being judged. If you imagine the world is listening, you'll never write a line. – Erica Jong

Start by asking if this is writer’s laziness as opposed to writer’s block. – James Scott Bell

A little writer's block can be a good thing. Your inner-literary critic's way of gently letting you know you're really stinking up the joint. You're off track. Lost in the weeds. Need to go back and rethink things. Sometimes it's simply a matter of temporarily writing yourself out. Yesterday's slow 'n' steady 3 hour, 600 word quota turned into a 5 hour, 2,000 word marathon. The tank's suddenly dry. Take a breather. Let your subconscious work its magic. The words will come. – Quentin R. Bufogle

There’s no such thing as writer’s block. What there is though, is a reluctance to write poorly. I think sometimes you just have to turn on the valve and clear the crap out of the pipes before you can get the good stuff.  – Sean Turner

Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. – Ernest Hemingway

 

Contrary to popular wisdom, being “blocked” is not about running out of things to say. Instead, it’s succumbing to the unrealistic expectation that your work must Be Great Now. It’s a decision to remain silent rather than speak and maybe stumble. It’s the determination to avoid failure, which is a great way to ensure that the humbling work of getting better will never begin. – Joe Fassler

 

I do not believe in it [writer’s block]. My job is to write, not to like what I’m writing. That’s why we edit, and nobody gets editor’s block. – Jason Isbell

 

I believe that the so-called ‘writing block’ is a product of some kind of disproportion between your standards and your performance. One should lower his standards until there is no felt threshold to go over in writing. It’s easy to write. You just shouldn’t have standards that inhibit you from writing. – William Stafford

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As a writer, blocked (for me) means there is something that
went wrong in my process and it's time to backtrack
(which is often part of the process itself anyway).

Marc Cinanni

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There's no such thing as writer's block for me. I consider this an indulgence. That's because writing is my job. It pays the bills. I just get on with it. I'm motivated by deadlines, cashflow, supporting my family and my company. – Linda Aitchison

 

When a person says that they are suffering from ‘writer’s block,’ what they often mean is that they have some ideas, but they think all of those ideas are unoriginal or unworthy.– Devon Price

 

When you experience writers block, just bark, meow or make a funny sound to get your whole body functioning again ... works all the time... – Emmanuel Adams

 

The best copywriters are the most tenacious researchers. Like miners, they dig, drill, dynamite, and chip until they have carloads of valuable ore. John Caples advised me once to gather seven times more interesting information than I could possibly use... Research is the infallible cure for writer's block. – Gary Bencivenga 

 

Writer's block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they can have an excuse to drink alcohol. - Steve Martin

 

If you get writer’s block, consider whether it’s because you’re not being honest enough. You might be blocked because what you really need to write, you’re unwilling to let it out yet. – Neil Gaiman

 

It’s not the fear of writing that blocks people, it’s the fear of not writing well; something quite different. – Scott Berkun

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You can’t think yourself out of a writing block;
you have to write yourself out of a thinking block.

John Rogers

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Writer’s block doesn’t exist…lack of imagination does. – Cyrese Covelli

Writer's block: That moment when you freeze on the bridge between expectation and reality. – Joyce Rachelle
 

Writing about a writer's block is better than not writing at all. – Charles Bukowski

If you have writer's block, dig into it. You are resisting something. Something is getting in the way of your creative work. Resistance always means something. –Vinita Hampton Wright

 
Big reveal here: there is no such thing as writer’s block. There’s only laziness, fear, and overthinking. You’re just using the wrong part of your mind at that moment. – James Dowd

 
A hammer made of deadlines is the surest tool for crushing writer's block. – Ryan Lilly

 

Never use writer’s block as an excuse. The only way to do it is to do it. When you’re stuck, the only way through it is through it. Just keep going. Put words on the page, worry about them later. Stop overthinking it and write. – James Dowd

 
Writer's block is just another name for fear. – Jacob Nordby

 

A little writer's block can be a good thing. Your inner-literary critic's way of gently letting you know you're really stinking up the joint. You're off track. Lost in the weeds. Need to go back and rethink things. – Quentin R. Bufogle

 

There is indeed one person who can help solve “writer’s block”. His name is Mr Johnnie Walker. – Ashwin Sanghi

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I have found repeatedly hitting my head with a mallet
doesn't help at all, so I am open to suggestions.

Steve Merrick

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I learned to produce whether I wanted to or not. It would be easy to say oh, I have writer’s block, oh, I have to wait for my muse. I don’t. Chain that muse to your desk and get the job done. – Barbara Kingsolver

               

Writer’s block is akin to a “vacancy” sign; if you wait long enough they will eventually fill. – Nanette L. Avery

There is no such thing as writer’s block. There is only procrastination and fear and perfectionism and pure laziness. – Travis Thrasher

The subconscious mind is amazingly efficient – it wants to work your story out – and while I’ve never experienced it myself, my guess is that writer’s block is the result of the conscious mind having gotten too involved in the process. – Alistair Cross

 

Writer's block is just a fancy way of saying “I don't feel like doing any work today.” – Meagan Spooner
 

When you're at odds with yourself, it's hard to create. Sometimes the writing process is as easy as opening up the window and letting in the breeze. And sometimes it's like chiseling away at a block of granite with a pencil. – Anthony Kiedis,

 
Writer’s block is only a failure of the ego. – Norman Mailer

 

Some days constipated thoughts clog the day. – Richard L. Ratliff

 

Breaking through writer's block is like thinking out of the box: Both require an ability to imagine a world outside your four walls or rearranging them to get a better view. – Susan J. McIntire

 
I haven’t had writer’s block. I think it’s because my process involves writing very badly. – Jennifer Egan

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Writer's block comes from the feeling that one is doing
the wrong thing or doing the right thing badly.

John Gardner

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I don't believe in writer's block. Writer's block is when you're running down an ally and all of a sudden you're trapped by a brick wall. You can't go under, over, or through it. You're stuck. But the problem isn't that you can't pass the brick wall. You see, the problem is that you went down the wrong ally. –  Barry Lyga

 

Writing isn't difficult. Writing well is difficult. What is most difficult is being with the interior experience that manifests as resistance to writing. – H. Raven Rose

 

Professional writers don't have muses; they have mortgages. – Larry Kahaner

No one ever says ‘Wow I just can’t talk today!’ (unless you’ve lost your voice or your vocal chords have been removed) so, you CAN ALWAYS talk — which means you can ALWAYS write! – Joel Saltzman

 
Sometimes writing is hard. You know what’s not hard? Watching Netflix. That’s easy. – Beth Revis

 

Writer’s block, how to overcome it: write something substantial every morning, and while doing so forget entirely the impression you’re creating. That is, overcome ego. – Paul Fussell

 

Writer’s block simply means the structure for an idea is broken. If you give ideas a robust structure, then writer’s block vanishes forever. – Thomas Clifford 

 

Writer’s block? I’ve heard of this. This is when a writer cannot write, yes? Then that person isn’t a writer anymore. I’m sorry, but the job is getting up in the fucking morning and writing for a living. – Warren Ellis

 

When you hit a wall, when you’re feeling blocked, step away from the computer. Take a run. Rub the dog’s belly. Read 50 pages of a novel. Watch a stupid situation comedy. Let your brain relax. Let it reboot. No one ever got anywhere by banging on the backspace key for hours on end. – Frank Bruni

 

Prescription for writer’s block: Fear of Poverty. – Peter Mayle

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For more on this subject, check out:

👉Aaron Sorkin on Writer’s Block

👉A Proven Way to Beat Writer's Block

👉Copywriter Writer's Block* - a piece I wrote for “Change My Mind”
(currently available at no charge).

*This eBook, described as “an opinionated book on how narratives and content shape the way we see things” also includes work from GeorgeTannenbaum, NickPrinsloo, EsmeraldaAvellaneda, DustinDooling, SantanuSengupta, WadeSkalsky, MarDomínguez Seda, GenaGephart, and RobMaiale.