Treat Writer’s Block as the Myth It Is Jerry Jenkins   “Wait!” you’re saying. “If it’s a myth, why am I suffering from it right now?” Believe me, I know what you’re going through. I’m not saying I don’t have days when I’d rather do anything but put words on the page. But I know how to get unstuck. I’ve learned to turn on a faucet of creativity— especially when I find myself staring at a blank page. My approach stops Writer’s Block in its tracks, and it can do the same for you. How can I call Writer’s Block a myth when you and countless others seem plagued by it? If Writer’s Block were real, why would it affect only writers? Imagine calling your boss and saying, “I can’t do my job today. I have Worker’s Block.” You’d be laughed off the phone! No other profession accommodates block as an excuse to quit working, so we writers shouldn’t either. If writing is just a hobby to you, a diversion, something you can take or leave, it shouldn’t surprise you that you find ways to avoid it when it becomes more than that—which it must for you to become successful at it.   What we call Writer’s Block is really a cover for something much deeper. Identify that deeper issue, and you can finally overcome it. Let me suggest four real reasons you struggle to write:   #1 Fear Do you fear you’re not good enough? That you don’t know enough? Do you fear the competition? Editors? Criticism? Rejection? You have big dreams and good intentions, but fear robs your confidence?   Would you believe all the above describes me too? Yes, even now, every time I begin a new book. Let’s be honest: Writing a book is hard. The competition IS vast, and the odds ARE long. That kind of fear can paralyze. Maybe it’s what has you stuck. So how can I suffer the same fears you do and yet publish all those titles? Because I discovered something revolutionary: After failing so many times to overcome fear, it finally dawned on me—my fear is legitimate! It’s justified. I ought to be afraid. So now I actually embrace that fear. Rather than letting it overwhelm me and keep me from writing, I accept that I have reasons to be afraid and let that fear humble me. That humility motivates me to work hard. And hard work leads to success.

So you see, fear doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It can become a tremendous motivator. Better to fear you’re not good enough than to believe you’re great. Dean Koontz, who has sold hundreds of millions of books, says: “The best writing is born of humility. The great stuff comes to life in those agonizing and exhilarating moments when writers become acutely aware of the limitations of their skills, for it is then that they strain the hardest to make use of the imperfect tools with which they must work.” How humble would you be if your writing made you a mega bestseller like Dean Koontz? Yet, humility is the attitude Dean Koontz takes to the keyboard every day. If you’re afraid, fear the “limitations of your skills.” Then, “strain the hardest to make use of those imperfect tools with which you must work.” That’s how to turn fear into humility, humility into motivation, motivation into hard work, and hard work into success. Fear can be a great motivator.   #2 Procrastination Everywhere I teach, budding writers admit procrastination is killing their dream. When I tell them they’re talking to the king of procrastinators, their looks alone call me a liar. But it’s true. Most writers are masters at finding ways to put off writing. I could regale you for half a day with the ridiculous rituals I perform before I can start writing. But my track record says I must have overcome Procrastination the way I have overcome Writer’s Block, right? In a way, yes. But I haven’t defeated Procrastination by eliminating it. Rather, I have embraced it, accommodated it. After years of stressing over Procrastination and even losing sleep over it, I finally concluded it was inevitable. Regardless of my resolve and constant turning over new leaves, it plagued me. Solution I came to see Procrastination as an asset. When I get back to my keyboard after procrastinating, my subconscious has been working on my project. I’m often surprised at what I’m then able to produce. So if Procrastination is both inevitable and an asset, I must accept it and even schedule it. That’s right. When I’m scoping out my writing calendar for a new book, I decide on the number of pages I must finish each writing day to make my deadline. Then I actually schedule Procrastination days. By accommodating Procrastination, I can both indulge in it AND make my deadlines. How? By managing the number of pages I must finish per day. If Procrastination steals one of my writing days, I adjust the number of pages for each day remaining. But here’s the key: I never let my pages-per-day figure get out of hand. It’s one thing to go from 5 or 6 pages a day to 7 or 8. But if I procrastinate to where now I have to finish 20 pages per day to make my deadline, that’s encroaching on my capacity. Keep your deadline sacred and your number of pages per day workable, and you can manage Procrastination.   #3 Perfectionism While Perfectionism can be a time thief, it’s also a valuable trait during the revision stage. Indulge Perfectionism during the writing and it can become frustrating enough to make you want to quit altogether. Yes, I’m a perfectionist too—constantly tempted to revise my work until I’m happy with every word. Solution Separate your writing from your editing and you can keep Perfectionism from leading to Writer’s Block. While writing your first draft, take off your Perfectionist cap and turn off your internal editor. Tell yourself you can return to Perfectionist mode while revising, but for now, just get your writing done. I know this is counterintuitive. When we spot errors, we want to fix them. Resist the urge to do that while writing or your production slows to a crawl. Keep these tasks separate and watch your daily production soar.   #4 Distractions It’s like clockwork. Every time you sit to write, something or someone intrudes. Solution How serious are you about your writing dream? Take a stand. Safeguard your work time by: 1. Establishing a strict writing schedule. Tell anyone who needs to know that aside from an emergency, you’re not available. That should eliminate friends and loved ones assuming “you’re not doing anything right now, so…” Learn to say “No.” When you’re writing, you’re working. 2. Turn off other media. That means radio, TV, phone, email, or social media. When we’re stuck, we tend to break from the work and find something fun to do. But Facebook, online shopping, and clickbait stories can rob hours of writing time before we know it. When we could be concentrating on our writing, we’re following links to the “10 Ugliest Actors of All Time” or “15 Sea Creatures You Won’t Believe Actually Exist.” Soon your work time has evaporated, and you’ve accomplished nothing.   You Can Defeat Writer’s Block Once you identify the real reasons you’re not writing, you CAN eliminate Writer’s Block. I’m living proof. Yours to better writing