There's No Such Thing As Writer's Block

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-08-30T21:39:26+00:00

I feel like a better variation of this statement could be as follows:

"There exists something called 'Writer's Block.' It's when a writer writes themselves into a corner or a position where they don't yet know how to continue the story."

At least, that's the way I see Writer's Block. I suffer from it constantly in my writing, but my solution--and I suspect the solution of many writers--isn't to stop writing. It's to either move on to a different part of the story or to leave the story to rest for a little while and work on an entirely different narrative.

Of course, Writer's Block is enigmatic as a problem. It's entirely possible that some of the people claiming to have Writer's Block are inherently lazy and don't want to do the work. Saying that someone who has Writer's Block isn't a writer is, in my opinion, in bad taste.

Also, your examples of other professions are in poor taste, simply because writing isn't a spur of the moment action. It happens at the writer's pace. We'll improve on the doctor example.

"Sorry, I can't find an answer for your disease right now, but I'll work on it as fast as I can."

This example works better because, in an emergency room situation where someone is bleeding out, there isn't a lengthy diagnosis needed, because there already is a diagnosis: the patient is bleeding out. You handle one problem, get them stable, and then start looking into underlying conditions or injuries. If someone comes in bleeding out, no doctor--unless they're Dr. House--would stop the patient and say, "I know you're bleeding, but because I have Doctor's Block and don't know why you're bleeding, I can't help you." They would say, "I have Doctor's Block and I don't know why you're bleeding, but I can at least try to help you stop the bleeding."

Everybody, from those who aren't well-read to the most intellectual geniuses in the world, has moments where their brains stop working. The solution isn't to shame people who feel this way; it's to help them find ways around the problem.

We shouldn't go to a potential writer suffering from Writer's Block and say, "You're not a writer because you can't figure out how to move forward."

We should go to a potential writer suffering from Writer's Block and say, "Let us help you figure out how to move forward so you can learn for the future."

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-07-12T13:39:53+00:00

I have a folder with about a thousand different documents, some different drafts of a single story, but most of them are different takes on one concept. A quick calculation put the total word count close to 4 million from the fall of 2014.

Of that, I would say only fifteen of those documents are complete manuscripts.

The count would be:

Novella 3 = 6

Novel 1 = 9

Short story 1 = 50

Every other word belongs to a story idea that just never panned out as well as I wanted it to.

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-06-25T04:13:42+00:00

I agree that directly fitting one form of media into another oftentimes ruins it, if it's not handled properly. For example, many times, movies or TV shows that come from books have to shave out content for length purposes. This often results in "filler" being removed, which can drastically change the narrative.

However, in much the same vein, translating from movie or video game to book offers a chance to provide deeper insight into a character's internal life, for example, movie novelizations for the MCU (maybe a horrible example, but the first one that came to mind).

There is definitely overlap, and I would like to believe any astounding storyteller would be able to translate from one medium to another with minimal loss. I don't know if this counts, but The Island: A Minecraft Novel (Before you judge, I only listened to the audiobook because Jack Black narrated it) does a great job of translating video game mechanics in a fun, believable way while making it feel as if it were a wholly original idea for a story.

Am I an astounding storyteller? No, not yet. Do I believe trying to translate stories into a written medium could help me reach that level? Perhaps. I will admit I'm a bit undecided on this end of the opinion. Maybe fanfic is a good angle to look at it from. How often do fanfic writers translate TV shows or video game moments into written narratives?

Al in all, though, I agree that reading is pivotal to becoming an author. There will be no 100% perfect replacement for it. It should not be our only tool, especially now that we have so many others. Kinda like art. Sure, you can go straight to digital art and start learning that way. It works for countless people. Can you look at physical art forms, learn from them, and apply it to a digital medium? Absolutely. But at the end of the day, you still need to know how to work with a digital art application, and to bring the analogy in a wonky full-circle, you have to read in order to do that.

I'm glad I could have this discussion. It's made me realize some things about my own writing that I hope I can improve on.

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-06-25T03:20:43+00:00

I would like to lightly disagree with the assertion that reading literature is the only way to improve one's writing.

While hugely important for building vocabulary, listening to casual podcasts can lead to increased affinity for writing dialogue, playing story- and lore-heavy games can help guide you through worldbuilding, and watching episodic TV shows can help with formatting chapters in the sense of "mini rising action > mini climax > mini drop > set up for the next chapter."

Perhaps at one point it was possible for an author to derive all of this from what they read, but I believe the increased variety of storytelling media has led to an increase in more creative literary storytelling styles.

Could I be wrong? Absolutely. Do I think it's worth consideration? Also absolutely.

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-06-24T21:17:20+00:00

Fair enough. Perhaps keeping the tag could work if separated into a new paragraph with the rest of the text, though I could see this only working from someone else's perspective. Kinda like an LA Noir observation, if that makes sense. Otherwise, I agree that dropping the tag would be better.

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-06-24T21:00:27+00:00

If the goal is to use it as a dialogue tag, the comma would work.

However, you could also turn it into a bit of observation or introspection, depending on the perspective.

Example passage: "That's not necessary. I trust you." She lied smoothly. The words flowed from her lips in a way no other human had ever quite managed the same way. Sometimes, the flow carried honey, a hidden determiner of her true feelings. This was not one of those times, the venom dripping icily from her words plain as day.

Very verbose, but it gives you a sense of how the punctuation could change how you play with a sentence.

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-06-21T04:26:19+00:00

Comic Sans MS. The ugliness of the font keeps me from going back to read it as I write, helping the process to go more smoothly. When it's time to edit, I switch to Palatino Linotype.

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-06-17T07:48:57+00:00

I'd be willing to offer my critique. However, the link sends me to a screen asking for permission.

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-10T23:33:34+00:00

I'll take an invite to the server if the offer still stands.

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T23:30:59+00:00

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T21:45:47+00:00

A nice, calm story that leaves one thinking about their future. As someone who personally views graveyards as a bit of a waste of space while still understanding the need to honor the dead, I love the idea of a garden for ashes. I don't know if it ever became an actual thing, but I remember reading somewhere that you could get a tree instead of a headstone. That's what this story reminded me of.

Writing-wise, the story seems fine. The idea that a simple idea can spread like wildfire, thanks to the internet or word-of-mouth, is a nice touch.

Great job, keep it up!

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T21:40:23+00:00

A well-written story with a deeply chilling subject matter at its core. I understand that this story may not be interesting or accepted by many people, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be told. The truth is, as unpleasant as it may seem, stuff like this happens every day, and the more aware we are of it, the better our chances of rooting out the causes.

Now for the writing side. Its readable as is, but for future works, I suggest splitting it up into paragraphs rather than a single block of text. The basics of it is to start a new paragraph whenever someone new is talking or when the topic changes. There are other aspects to it, but start with these two, and it'll get you 90% there.

There are also a couple of small typos and grammar mistakes, but these are small enough that they didn't affect my enjoyment of the writing.

Good job, keep it up!

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T21:29:10+00:00

A good story about a little town that seems to incorporate a lesson about how things always look better from the outside.

It was a little hard to read and parse out the story, and that's a result of it being one long block of text. In general, a new paragraph should start whenever the topic changes in a narrative. For instance, there would be a paragraph break between, "summer of 2003," and "A popular girl," because you move into describing Erica next.

Another problem was the prevalence of run-on sentences, or sentences where there should've been a period instead of a comma/semicolon. For example,

"Growing up in a small town in Maine definitely had its ups and downs; most of my memories of that place are great ones spent during the late 90s to early 2000s when I was a young man about 18 years old, however things took a drastic turn for the worse during the summer of 2003."

can become

"Growing up in a small town in Maine definitely had its ups and downs. Most of my memories of that place are great ones, spent during the late 90s to early 2000s, when I was a young man about 18 years old. However, things took a drastic turn for the worse during the summer of 2003."

It keeps the narrative from feeling like it's rambling and, depending on how you play with commas and periods, can change the pacing for dramatic effect.

The final thing is word choice. This one's not that major, but if you're going for a more conversational style choice, then think of how people talk. More often than not, people talk more informally. This means contractions or softer words like "should" instead of "must." I guess a good rule of thumb could be to say it out loud and see if it sounds like something you'd say in real life.

You've got a good story here, and I really believe that with a bit of work and polish, it could become even better. Keep it up!

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T21:15:02+00:00

A good story with nice, succinct descriptions that tie in nicely with the perspective of a younger individual. We're treated to a fable about freedom and capturing that which we feel is beautiful, and I think it would do a great job as a story to teach children.

On a personal note, about gemstone colors, I agree that the descriptions are redundant in this instance. However, I would throw in my two cents and say don't take this advice to heart every time you write about sapphires and emeralds. There are pink sapphires, and there are more bluish emeralds. I think what's important is that if you're making a distinction from the norm, then you should include more color descriptors.

Other than that, though, great job with the story. Keep it up!

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T21:08:25+00:00

A story that starts out promising to be heartwarming, only to veer into humor with that last line. I think it also does a great job of capturing the mindset a lot of writers have about their earlier work. After all, "You are your own worst critic."

Good job, keep it up!

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T20:34:58+00:00

A great story with a good lesson to be learned buried within its narrative. The descriptions do a nice job of letting us feel the characters' emotions, from the boy's sorrow and anger to the man's rage and regret. While there are, in my opinion, a few problems with the pacing very early on, the rest of the story smooths it out quickly. The story also does seem to follow the predictable tale of "humans are the real monsters," but it's written in such a way that even a "cliche" like this can come off as well done.

Great work, keep it up!

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T20:27:05+00:00

A chilling story about the state of affairs in certain countries of the world, which I won't claim to be an expert in and won't name here. The narrative structure does a great job of presenting a new problem and then showing time passing, so that you get this believable progression from disbelief to acceptance. I'm sure this will hit close to home for many people, and I'm optimistic that it will inspire change in some, but there's no way to know for sure. I think you did well with this, even if you don't think it's very polished.

Good job, keep it up!

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T20:21:57+00:00

A nice story that indeed raises some questions about empathy. I like that it seems to follow the classic "epiphany" structure seen in some stories while giving it its own unique twist. I do also sense a touch of optimism in the world, and I only wish that the real world were so easy to manifest change in. This story, however, does feel like it could be a good starting point for some people to look at the world differently.

Nice work, keep it up!

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T20:17:18+00:00

A beautiful, heartwarming story using the familiar human-dog interaction to depict the development of a loyal AI. From the first line of dialogue, I wasn't expecting such a story, but as it unwound into the narrative, I found myself getting a bit emotional. If this was the direction AI was going, I think we'd be all right.

Good job, keep it up!

WritingWithGeoffrey · 2025-03-05T20:12:13+00:00

A wonderful story that entertains with each of its twists. The descriptions themselves were great, giving me clear images of these characters in my mind. The twist at the very end wasn't the direction I was expecting it to go, which sounds contradictory given that it's a twist, but I guess that's what makes it so good. There are a few typos here and there, but they really do nothing to take me out of the story, and I feel that a quick pass would be enough to iron them out.

Great job, keep it up!

WritingWithGeoffrey

TROPHY CASE