I know that’s harsh… but “Writer’s Block” is a lie.

Every writer has heard it. Most have felt it. Some wear it like a badge of honor as if it means you're some tortured artist… when they utter the phrase

"I have writer’s block."

No, they (you) don’t. What you have is fear or its equally justifiable counterpart laziness –  and don’t worry either way it's masquerading as the rationalization that Creation is mysterious…  Writer’s block—and creativity itself—isn’t mystical. It’s not an insurmountable wall only the ‘truly special’ can break through. That’s just a smokescreen of fear and excuses.

Let’s break it down and, more importantly, dismantle it.

The Myth of Writer’s Block: Why It Doesn’t Actually Exist

Writer’s block is often presented as a legitimate creative ailment, like the flu of the literary world. But here’s the truth:

  • No other profession gets away with this. A surgeon doesn’t say, “I have surgeon’s block.” A carpenter doesn’t put down their tools and wait for inspiration to strike. It’s an egotistical attempt to make the artistic disciplines mysterious. Cut the prima donna crap, no one wants to work with them and let’s be honest their ideas are never that good.   
  • It’s not about lack of ideas. You don’t need inspiration to write. You need discipline.
  • It’s avoidance, not a barrier. When we say we’re “blocked,” we’re really avoiding something—be it failure, imperfection, or the simple effort required to push through discomfort.

Writer’s block isn’t real. It’s just fear and laziness in disguise.

Fear: The Ego Behind the Blank Page

Fear is the number one cause of creative paralysis. But it doesn’t always show itself clearly. It sneaks in through different voices:

  • “This just sucks. I cannot move on until this part works” (Perfectionism)
  • “I don’t know where to start.” (Overwhelmed)
  • “I need to do more research first.” (Procrastination disguised as productivity)
  • “Maybe I’m not meant to be a writer.” (Imposter syndrome)

This is all the ego, or as Steven Pressfield puts it in his book The War of Art, “resistance with a capital R”. You must push through this. Like gravity it is a weak force (cosmically speaking) and just like gravity you can move through it. I actually just surprised myself with that metaphor… We all feel gravity but we all have the necessary strength to move through it. The same is true for your imagination’s ability to push past the ego. Your imagination and creativity is just the muscle that you work to get the ideas out.  

If you don’t understand that or jive with it, Pressfield put it in a more metaphysical way… Think of your creativity not as an expression of self which is weak and derivative and of the Ego (Resistance’s biggest ally) but as something ancient and separate from you… like the muses or gods. This repositioning helped me, meaning if that resonates with you… read Pressfield's work. The War of Art and Turing Pro are quick reads.  

How to Overcome It:

  • Lower the stakes.
    • Give yourself permission to write badly. A bad page can be revised—a blank page is useless. One of my mentor’s Jacob Krueger told me, “The only difference between good writers and bad writers is that good writers write badly more often” 
  • Set limits, not expectations. 
    • Write for 10 minutes . Or 100 words. Just start.
  • Accept that fear never goes away. 
    • It’s part of the process. The difference between writers and non-writers? Writers push through it. I like to jest with my other creative friends that Art is the one habit that will never form. 
  • Stay Consistent
    • Did you know that the average 300-page novel is 82,500 words? At 500 words a day (less than a page and a half double spaced) that is only 165 days? The average screenplay (of 90 minutes or 2 hours) is 25,000. I won’t do the math but it's less than 3 months at that very doable pace.  

How the Resistance uses the Ego in dastardly ways

One of the ways the Ego lures me in is with Outlining: Plot summaries – character breakdowns. I’ve outlined so many great works, developed incredible stories, created gripping characters you’ll love and hate… let me tell you. 

Can you read any of them? No…

They’re outlined… so they’re basically finished… 

No. they're not. Trust me, your outlines suck too. I heard that the eyes only see about 20 percent of the world that we pass through. The brain fills in the other 80 we can’t see. Which is why something we pass every day will suddenly change and we’re like when did that sign go missing. 10 years ago, dude. You never saw it, you saw it once 10 years ago, and passed by an empty pole every day yet your brain inferred a non-existent sign until one day you actually looked at it again. 

This seems like a bit of a tangent, but hang on as I try to stick this convoluted landing. 

Your outline is the most cliched 20% of the story, or project more broadly speaking. It seems perfect in your mind and in summary. But your brain has made assumptions for about 80% of it, and until you do the work of writing it will be the same story every fool has thought of. 

Don’t trust your outlines. They are not unique, interesting, or good. They are cliches wrapped in delusions of grandeur. But the Ego thinks they're just fine.

So don’t think outlining is combating Resistance, Ego or Writer’s Block… It is their ally and  is akin to Buzz Lightyear's first flight in Toy Story – [Stalling] with style.    

Laziness is Easy to Spot

If fear is the villain, laziness is its nincompoop partner in crime.

  • “I’m just not in the mood.”
  • “I need the perfect environment to write.”
  • “I’m too busy.”
  • “I’ll write when inspiration strikes.”

Laziness only serves your ego’s hypothesis that writing is some mystical act that requires the right time, mood, and cosmic alignment. But waiting for inspiration is just a fancier way of avoiding work.

Laziness tactics:

  1. Writing is hard. It takes mental effort, and your brain would rather scroll through nonsense than solve a plot problem.
  2. You romanticize the process. You picture yourself in a cabin with a typewriter instead of actually writing in your living room.
  3. Excuses feel like logic. Saying “I can’t write because I’m tired” feels more reasonable than admitting “I just don’t feel like doing the work.”

How to Overcome It:

  • Stop waiting for motivation. You don’t wait to brush your teeth—you just do it. Treat writing the same way.
  • Create a ritual. Sit down at the same time every day. If you sit there every morning for 20 minutes with no brain rot, your fingers will start to spring into action, I promise. 

Fall in Love with the Process. Once you do the first two points this will be easy. You will trust you creatively and want to create every day.

The Cure: Write Through It.

The solution to writer’s block is not thinking about writing, not talking about writing—just writing. Even if it’s bad. Especially if it’s bad. And most important is to stay consistent after you start!

Practical Strategies to Keep it up:

Once you defeat fear and laziness: Here's the big challenge; the ego will attack you. You must listen to the muses. Here's how: 

  1. Write with a focus. If an idea grips you or even if it's just a creative writing prompt.
  2. Trust the Process. Who cares if it sucks, if you like it it is fine. That's why there are editors.
  3. Think Of Yourself as a Transcriber. If it's not coming from you, then the ego can’t take root and ask if this is really “your personal expression” or something else. 

Final Truth: It’s Not About Being Blocked—It’s About What You Do Next

Writer’s block is not an obstacle—it’s a choice. A choice to stop, to give in to fear, to let excuses win. Real writers? They don’t wait for inspiration. They don’t accept “blocked” as an excuse. They write anyway.

So ask yourself: Is it really a block? Or just fear and laziness, rationalized into something that sounds better? And more importantly—what are you going to do about it?

Closing: Get Writing

The ego used to be daunting for me.... always whispering in my ear: 

“You don’t want to do this… Oh honey… you think this is going to happen?” 

Then one day I saw a clip from Schitt's Creek of David Rose poo-pooing ideas despite being self absorbed. Then it clicked! 

That was my ego’s avatar. However the muses' or the artist's avatar is Ted Lasso: An entity that gives me room to fail and learn, encouragement and praise without blowing smoke. The ego claims to be the realist, but it just wants to keep you down to protect you from whatever you are seeking, and the muses invite you to a different world equally real, just less cynical.  

Writer’s block is a myth! A lie we tell ourselves. The only cure?

Put words on the page.

And please don’t start a journal about how hard writing is? We already know. Just write a damn story that grips you and doesn’t let you go…

I’ll do you all one better! And put my words where my mouth is… that isn’t to say I’ll merely speak them, but put them into action. 

This year I started writing a novel that I spent the last 2 years thinking and outlining, “having concepts of a plan” until around December of 2024 when I finally got fed up with my own ego’s nonsense. David Rose is weak… 

As of publishing this article I have written more days this year than I have eaten… (I did a two day fast earlier this month) which is nothing I ever believed I would be able to say… 

I digress… I am currently on pace to have a finished manuscript by the end of May, which would be around ~93,000 words, currently at 71,000 words (started at 7,671 in December).

Any non-believers, skeptics or maybe you will find courage in a success story can request that manuscript in full! (Be my beta readers)

I promise you. It will be sent to your inboxes…

Because there is no such thing as Writer’s Block!

Enough of this… I've stalled you long enough. Start now. Not tomorrow. 

Not when you feel ready. 

Now.