When you open a document and stare at it, and you are able to write nothing—even with the intent of writing something—that is what is called writer’s block. I feel that writer’s block is absolutely a real thing, because one often feels the block while wanting to write or having the intent to write. Often, it starts before even the act of writing. It starts with thinking.
Imagine you have the itch to write, but you don’t have topics. Someone would say, “There are so many topics to write about!” And you’d say, sure, there are. I choose X. But what of X? How do you frame X to suit you and what you want to say? Some people are happy with just the definition. Others aren’t. They want to go deeper, explore a crevice of a topic that has existed and may or may not have been written or talked about. But the sentences feel off because they don’t frame well; the words seem too simple or too complicated; and the structure is absolutely off. It looks haphazard—like a child who is just learning the language writes.
There are ways to come out of writer’s block, but that too is subjective from person to person. A situation such as writer’s block is subjective in itself, and I don’t think it is justified to call it an excuse because, I reiterate, it comes from intent and want. Otherwise, you’re just a normal person existing, not writing, doing something else. It is good to accept such situations so people feel empathised with and accepted. Making it out to be an excuse seems ignorant and a bit harsh.
All in all, if you do have writer’s block, please write anyway, because from your badly written write-ups will come your masterpiece. If you don’t feel like writing, that’s okay too. Wait for it to come to you. Reading is a good tool to use when dealing with writer’s block.
You are real, and so is your writer’s block. Take your time. No hurry.
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