Speaker 1: There's nothing more frustrating than this. We've all faced it. The blank page. An empty chapter. The white void. The thing that separates people who talk about writing from those that actually write. And also the thing that stops writers from becoming authors. Each of us have encountered writer's block, and each of us will have to overcome it at some point, in one way or another. Which is sort of funny because I feel like I've been in a creative rut of my own. Resulting in a delay in my publishing schedule here, but also in my own writing in general. But putting aside my own creative fatigue, let's get into discussing what writer's block is, and what we can do to overcome it. Welcome back to the channel. If you're new here, my name is Cameron. I'm a writer, an editor, and the creator of Wrestling With Words. A channel where we can look at how to tell better stories, while also understanding how the best stories are told. Today we're diving into a topic that has plagued many writers, both established and new, at some point or another. Writer's block. Or as I tend to think of it, creative fatigue. Whether you just started out, or are a seasoned writer, we've all experienced a point in time where the words just don't seem to come. Or we've somehow reached a creative dead end with an existing project. But today we're going to talk about some creative solutions that I personally have used in the past, but have also been used by many famous and established writers as well. I think it's also important to remember when it comes to writer's block, or this creative fatigue, is that what works for some might not work for others. Different approaches and different strategies often work for different writers. Or don't, in some cases. It's important to explore various techniques, and find out what resonates and what works for you personally, to overcome burnout, creative fatigue, and writer's block in general. First, let's discuss writer's block. Or as I mentioned before, what I like to think of it more as is creative fatigue. It's a frustrating feeling being stuck, staring at a blank page or screen. But it's important to remember that you're not alone, and that this isn't a contagious or infectious disease that is incurable. Even renowned authors like George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and classical writer Leo Tolstoy have spoken about their own struggle when it comes to writer's block. But what exactly is writer's block? And why does this disease seem to have both no cure and the simplest of solutions? Simply defined, writer's block is the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing. It's a jarring halt of a creative project, leading to feelings of doubt, imposter syndrome, and suspension. Part of understanding what causes writer's block and creative fatigue is also part of overcoming it. We can look at other great writers and established authors to see how they've recovered from this condition. But at the end of the day, we need to look at ourselves and our own creative process and try to address the problem on a personal level. Most famously, we can look at George R.R. Martin, the renowned author of the Song of Ice and Fire series that inspired the TV show Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin has famously dealt with writer's block, burnout, and overall struggled with getting words onto the page.

Speaker 2: Wrap this up pretty soon. Is there anything that you've always wanted to ask me?

Speaker 3: Yes. Yes, there is something I want to ask you. All right. How the fuck do you write so many books so fast?

Speaker 1: He has acknowledged that writer's block is something he's experienced throughout his career. In interviews, he has expressed that there are times when the words just don't flow easily.

Speaker 3: You don't ever have a day where you sit down there and it's like constipation and you write a sentence and you hate the sentence and you check your email and you wonder if you had any talent after all and maybe you should have been a plumber. Don't you have days like that?

Speaker 2: No, I mean there's real life.

Speaker 1: He faces challenges in finding inspiration or overall staying motivated. However, despite this, he does emphasize the importance and necessity of perseverance and continuing to write even when it is difficult to do so. But what sort of sign is this for other writers? If someone as famous and established as George R.R. Martin can't even find the words at times, how can we? Well, similarly, Martin has stressed the need for writers to be disciplined and maintain a writing routine. He believes that showing up and regularly writing, even if it's just a few words, is crucial in combating the blank page. In one interview, he mentioned that he tries to write every day even when he doesn't feel particularly inspired or motivated to do so. Additionally, Martin has talked about the importance of finding a balance between creativity and structure. While he is known for his intricate plots, complex characters, and expansive storylines, he has noted that too much planning can often stifle creativity.

Speaker 3: I don't have a formal outline. I'm not one of these writers who outlines what's going to be in every scene, what's going to be in every chapter. I might be faster if I did. I did have to do that in Hollywood. I had never done that before. And when I got to Hollywood, I didn't want to do that, but they made me. I kept saying, just let me write the script and then you'll see how it comes out. No, no, I have to have the outline first. So I got used to outlining there, but I never liked it. It did take away some of the spontaneity. I felt, you know, in some sense, I had already told the story, even though I'd only told it in shorthand.

Speaker 1: While in the same breath, too little structure can result in aimlessly wandering. Striking the right balance between structure and spontaneity is a challenge that writers often face. And the advice that Martin has given to aspiring writers is to find their own approach at finding this balance.

Speaker 3: Well, I have always said that I believe there are two types of writers, which I call the architect and the gardener. The architect plans everything in advance. He draws up his blueprint. He knows where the plumbing is going to run. He knows how many rooms they're going to be, exactly what the square footage of each room is. Everything is finalized before you dig the hole in the ground or drive the first nail. The gardener, he may know the general shape of the garden that he wants, but still, he's digging a hole in the ground. He's planting a seed. And, you know, he has some idea what's going to come up with the gardener. The gardener knows whether he's planted an oak tree or whether he's planted a radish. So it's not totally random, but, you know, is the oak tree going to be a healthy oak tree? There's a lot that goes to chance and to other elements with the gardener. The garden is a living thing. And I think it's the same for writers. I think all writers are a mixture of both, but some lean much more heavily to one side than to the other.

Speaker 1: I've often found that writer's block or creative fatigue can more so be a symptom of another sort of problem, a structural or more fundamental issue with your own work. In the past, I've used writer's block to identify if something is wrong with my plot or a character or perhaps some other broken element of my story. As we go further into the video, we should keep this concept in the back of our mind. Writer's block isn't always the diagnosis we are looking for to solve. Sometimes it is instead a symptom of something else that is wrong with our story. Ernest Hemingway once said, the first draft of anything is garbage. Give yourself permission to write poorly in the beginning. The key is to keep going as writing is a process of discovery. The moment we stop is the moment of death of our creative inertia. Now, I'm no big, huge fan of Hemingway, but this quote, or at least the mindset behind it, really speaks to me. So much of writing advice that we see talks about making a routine and staying disciplined to writing. But I think this is more than that. Part of the process of first overcoming writer's block will come down to identifying writer's block and then understanding that it is a normal part of the writing process. We should understand this might be a sign of something worse or something more fundamental that is wrong with our story. But what can we do about it? That is the reason why we're all here. We want to know how to overcome the blank page. Here are a few points that I've collected and used on my own, while also seeking out advice from more famous authors and established authors. Don't let perfection be the enemy of good. Margaret Atwood, the author of Handmaid's Tale, has spoken about the crux of perfection. In overcoming the desire to create a perfect draft. She says, if I waited for perfection, I would never write a word. Atwood highlights the importance of pushing through self-imposed barriers and embracing imperfection in the creative process, which is something we could all probably do a bit more of. Remember, it's only you and the page.

Speaker 4: The waste paper basket is your friend. It was invented for you by God.

Speaker 1: Sometimes we toil and toil and toil and toil on a project, working endlessly on one chapter or one page, trying to find the perfect words and make the scene absolutely perfect, unable to move on. Try to avoid spinning out of control and writing the perfect scene or the perfect page, especially on the first draft. It's important to continue to progress through your story and move on with your work. Otherwise, you'll endless be tweaking and editing and never actually finish your work. Typically, this will then lead to burnout and overall creative fatigue. Don't wait for inspiration. Practice discipline and routine. And then there's also Stephen King who says, amateurs sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work. King emphasizes the importance of discipline and routine when it comes to writing.

Speaker 2: There are books and there are books. The way that I work, I try to get out there and I try to get six pages a day. So with a book like End of Watch, and I work, when I'm working, I work every day, three, four hours, and I try to get those six pages and I try to get them fairly clean. So if the manuscript is, let's say, 360 pages long, that's basically two months work. It's concentrated, but it's a fairly but that's assuming that it goes well. And you do hit six pages a day? I usually do. Similar to George R.R. Martin,

Speaker 1: who encourages writers to continue to write even when lacking the inspiration to do so. I too tend to lean towards this way of thinking. It may not be the nicest of takes or the easiest pill to swallow. It might even fall into the category of toxic advice, being slight cousins to grind culture or whatnot. But I don't think that's the whole story. Writer's block and creative fatigue are often not as crippling as we might think. There will be friction in everything that we do, and especially everything that we do that is hard. In writing, amongst all the other things you can do in this world, is hard. I spoke in a prior video about how your muse is not coming and that you are in the driver's seat of your own creative destiny. I still think that holds true, especially to writer's block. If we allow these obstacles to stop us in our tracks, you'll never produce that wonderful story that you spent so much time thinking up and building. It's important to know that you are in charge of your own creative energy, and you are in charge of overcoming your own creative fatigue. I always fall back on that Ray Bradbury quote, where he says, write a short story every week. It's not possible to write 52 bad stories in a row.

Speaker 3: Build good careers by mere perseverance. And okay, I got a rejection. Well, I'm writing a new story. Okay, I got another rejection. I'm writing a new story. I'm going to keep at it, I'm going to keep at it. I mean, Ray Bradbury famously papered an entire room of his house with his rejection slips.

Speaker 1: The idea of sometimes embracing quality over quantity when it comes to writing and giving yourself permission to experiment and make mistakes really resonates with me, especially when it comes to short fiction, but even more so when it comes to long fiction. Finish what you start. Finish what you start. I could have used that Ray Bradbury quote here as well, but instead we can look at some advice from Neil Gaiman.

Speaker 3: What is your number one tip for an aspiring writer?

Speaker 5: Uh, finish things. Yeah, get to work. You know, that's gotta be, I mean, write only takes you so far. Finish things takes you most of the rest of the way.

Speaker 1: The idea of pushing through adversity and friction can sometimes feel like a daunting task, but I've found that by setting small achievable goals, even when it comes to a longer form project, we can establish a writing routine around those much easier and even trick our brains into thinking that we are progressing faster than staring at an entirely blank chapter or blank manuscript. Sometimes the act of writing just to finish something can itself help unlock other creative ideas, but this is one of the hardest aspects of writing. Finishing. Finishing a story, whether it be a zero draft or the final draft of something, often separates people who want to be writers from true writers and people who are writers from authors. If you're stuck or struggling with creative fatigue, sometimes changing gears and even working on a smaller project is the best thing you can do for your own creative process. Now, this doesn't mean that you should stop your current work in progress altogether or abandon it. The first sign of friction or adversity, what sometimes helps is starting a new chapter or writing that troublesome scene from a different point of view as a writing exercise. We can even go and write some flash fiction or short fiction just to practice the art of starting a project and finishing one. There is something to say about trying to write in a different medium or switching between short and long form. Often I've found that this can get the creative juices flowing or give way to new ideas we might not have considered before. In case you're interested, I wrote an article a while back about the importance of short fiction. Step away. And finally, sometimes if a scene or chapter or even an outline is giving us difficulties, it can sometimes be beneficial to step away altogether. We should take time to decompress and even let our own ideas percolate in our own minds. I found that exercising or going for a walk and even sometimes going for a drive helps in overcoming troublesome scenes or difficult chapters. This is something I've always been an advocate for. Creative recovery is something akin to the recovery process of an athlete or after having worked out. If you'd ever ventured into the fitness world or competed athletically in any way, we have probably heard time and time again the importance of rest and recovery, sometimes being more important itself than actually training. Similarly, we can view this in terms of our own creative output as well. We should try to recover properly when we are feeling burnt out or fatigued. Sometimes stepping away from a creative project is the best thing for it, a healthy thing, even leading to fresh new ideas or a clearer state of mind. But it's important to remember to always come back and don't let that blank page win. A writer's block and creative fatigue are hurdles we all face, but they don't define your writing journey. The main thing that we hear time and time again is to stay persistent, nurture your creativity, and don't sit around and wait for inspiration to strike. We can seek the insight and wisdom of famous writers and established authors who have walked this path before us. Every writer deals with friction and this sort of resistance and finds their own way to overcome it. Sometimes hearing what others have done during their own creative process helps us in finding a solution with our own. But I'm curious, let me know what you think. Have you ever encountered writer's block or creative fatigue and what did you do to overcome it? I'm always curious to hear what you all are wrestling with as well as some of the successes that you've found with your own writing. If you found this helpful, please consider liking and subscribing as it helps the channel out a lot. As always, thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.