"The truth is, doctors do get doctor’s block. Plumbers do get plumber’s block. It’s just that only writers have been smart enough to give the problem a name." – Wisdom from best-selling and award-winning writer Dave Farland, via The Passive Voice.

4 COMMENTS

  1. There are different types of writer’s block.

    The most common type is either fear-based or energy-based. The writer is afraid or insecure about her writing so she can’t put words on the page. Energy-based is either about minor health issues or a belief that writing is only about inspiration, not about putting your butt in a chair and typing every day.

    Sometimes, when a writer can’t move forward on a project, he’s made a wrong turn, and his subconscious won’t let him start again until he’s fixed the problem.

    Then there’s the hell version of writer’s block. That’s when the writer is bombarded with bad news. Rejections by publishers, agents, etc. Bad reviews. Publishing houses dying or editors leaving. That’s a soul-deep attack on the writer’s belief in herself, her writing, and her future. The other types of writer’s block can be cured. This one can kill a career or the joy of writing.

  2. Nurses certainly talk about their equivalent, often calling it burn out. One common cause is when their efforts to help patients aren’t appreciated by a hospital bureaucracy.

    If you’re ever hospitalized, make an effort to thank your nurses. They will appreciate it.

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