When I was 20 years old, I stopped writing, and not by choice.

 
It happened suddenly and without explanation (or so it seemed). I went to sleep one day full of words, ideas and creativity, and woke up the next empty.

I was stuck, paralyzed, unable to commit even a single word to the page.

I would sit at my desk, ready to tackle that paper or short story, and nothing would come. I'd freeze. I'd stare at the screen for minutes that became hours, willing my thoughts to come, my hands to move across the keyboard. Still, nothing. So I would cry, give up, and fail again the next day.

Somehow, the writer in me had tied herself into knots. I was frustrated, confused and afraid. What was wrong with me, I wondered? What if I could never write another word again?

I did, of course, but not right away and not easily. Nearly a year later, I was writing again, the misery of recent months finally beginning to fade away.

This was my writer's block. If any of this experience sounds familiar to you, if you feel helpless and fearful in the face of your writing, if you're unable to move forward but don't know why, you might be suffering from the same.

The good news is, I overcame writer's block and you can, too.


Read the rest of my guest post over on Firepole Marketing's blog, where I discuss common misconceptions, causes, and remedies for writer's block that actually work.


And don't forget to share your own story in the comments! You know I always like to hear from you.