Writer's Block and it's 57 Names - 1

Part 1 - When you can't start writing

Prologue

I have been blocked for more time than I have been unblocked. The creative block lives in my body for months. Sometimes years. This time, it allowed me to write but stopped me from publishing it here.

I can vouch for all the genuine reasons people can’t get themselves to write. Financial stress, illness, fatigue, brain fog, emotional upheavals, censorship, lack of a community or guidance, and so on. Writing is a privilege. And yet, it is something we get scared of. We are unable to start or continue writing.

For many years, I’ve been listening to all the irrational, desperate, corrupted thoughts my ego mind offers to hide the fear I feel about being seen, about participating fully in the writing life. So I made a list. I doodled. I’m sharing all those embarrassing, knotty, and naughty thoughts that coalesce together to form writer’s block.

Writer's Block and it's 57 Names -1

1. the [classic I shall write when I have uninterrupted time and overwhelming inspiration] block

2. the [nobody is interested in my life, especially not me] block

3. the [I’m so used to scrolling down loud pages that a blank one spooks me] block

4. the [I don’t read 22 books a week so how can I be a writer] block

5. the [I don’t have a sexy vocabulary nor can I spell words like ‘recieve’ or ‘reccommend’] block

   

6. the [I’m not special enough to write poems or smart enough to write an academic paper or ______ enough to write ______] block

7. the [I’m too late to this party] block

8. the [by now I should’ve authored 12 books already] block

9. the [let me look up ergonomic chairs and tables first] block

10. the [I’ll buy a vintage typewriter and write on it] block

    

11. the [let me do extra work for my day job so that I can continue to complain about how I don’t have the time to write] block

12. the [won’t my colleagues doubt my commitment to my work if I start a little blog?] block

13. the [I will write once I have 2 Lakh rupees in my account] block

14. the [I can’t do anything if I’m not guaranteed cash or certificate for it] block

15. the [I’ll never be as glamourous as the internationally published Indian writer I see on my Instagram] block

    

16. the [I’ll tell all my story ideas to my friends over the phone and never develop them] block

17. the [I need to know exactly what I’ll write before I put pen to paper] block

18. the [I compulsively edit while drafting and make the writing process ever so painful] block

    

19. the [my writing doesn’t flow naturally so it’s not meant to be] block

20. the [world is ending so how can I sit and write poetry] block

21. the [what if my cousin breaches my privacy by reading my diary again] block

22. the [my mother will find out I’ve been a bad girl if I start writing online] block

23. the [my father taught me to think big so I’ll directly plan an ambitious book instead] block

24. the [that perfect idea in my head is better than the messy draft I’ll have to write if I take it seriously] block

25. the [I want to write something so original that no human, dead or alive, would have thought of it] block

    

26. the [if only I was single I would have more time to write] block

27. the [if only I was married I would have more stability to write] block

28. the [I’m ashamed to look like an amateur blogger when I identify more with Pulitzer Prize winners] block

29. the [let me quickly check with my parents/colleagues/students/friends if they need me before I start writing] block

30. the [I’m actually scared writing will feel so good that I’ll have to make more space for it] block

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Continue reading: Part 2 - When you can’t continue writing

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If you have had one of these blocks too, please let me know in the comments.