{"id":2078,"date":"2025-04-10T09:33:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T08:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/?p=2078"},"modified":"2025-04-08T09:38:34","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T08:38:34","slug":"i-didnt-believe-in-writers-block-until-it-happened-to-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/10\/i-didnt-believe-in-writers-block-until-it-happened-to-me\/","title":{"rendered":"I Didn&#8217;t Believe in Writer&#8217;s Block (Until It Happened To Me)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Okay, I should preface this by saying&nbsp;<em>I\u2019m still not out of writer\u2019s block.<\/em>&nbsp;Not really. Here\u2019s how it started, and what I\u2019m doing to try to remedy my creatively-drained brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where I\u2019m At<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For my day job (sadly, I\u2019m required to have one of those), I write marketing material: technical blogs, newsletters, ads, e-books, the whole nine yards, all revolving around one topic. Since I started full-time, I\u2019ve found my creative fiction writing slow considerably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I used to be able to write whatever, whenever. I\u2019d write every day. It was freeing. Satisfying. Cathartic. And it still is\u2014<em>sometimes<\/em>. But it takes a lot more work to get there now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I thought it was strange how writers said they experienced months of writer\u2019s block.\u00a0<em>How is that possible?<\/em>\u00a0I wondered.\u00a0<em>There are so many stories in my head!<\/em>\u00a0Alas, my hubris. I might still have stories stuck in my head, but getting them onto paper is like taming a bumblebee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I\u2019ve dissected my problem into three main culprits:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Social media<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Writing for a day job<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lack of sunshine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social Media (And Other Distractions)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Social media seems the most obvious. \u201cDoom scrolling\u201d, we call it, and for good reason. I\u2019ll also toss podcasts, chores, and other distractions into this category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The older I\u2019ve gotten, the more I feel Father Time ticking away at what I could spend learning something new, keeping up with the news, or starting a new hobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While some of those things can be good in moderation, I\u2019ve become so consumed by productivity culture that I\u2019ve hit the slope running a little too fast, and now catapulted to the bottom\u2026straight into a mud pit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Dreaded Day Job<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I would give all of my left shoes to be able to write fiction full-time. But that\u2019s not how life works (For most people. I know I\u2019m not the only one).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I write a lot of dry, corporate jargon all day. But this is a poor excuse for my writer\u2019s block because I see my fiction writing as a very different part of my brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The benefit my job has given me (besides being able to pay the bills) is that I can now type even faster! If only the ideas would come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lack of Sunshine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Look, I know the lack of sunshine is partly my fault. I moved from sunny Alberta, Canada to grey, rainy Wales. Much as I\u2019m loathe to admit it, the sun makes a huge difference in my motivation levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know authors say you can\u2019t rely on inspiration to strike. It\u2019s like standing on a hill on a sunny day wearing rubber boots and waiting for lightning. You\u2019ve got to put in the work. Jack up that metal rod in a thunderstorm. Sit your butt down and focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Solutions (Or So I Hope)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Right, enough complaining. On to the solutions. (This is where you readers are my accountability partners, so I stick to these and report back on my progress.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I\u2019m going to limit my phone consumption times. I heard a saying recently (forgive me for forgetting the reference) that we should\u00a0<strong>always create before we consume<\/strong>. That means waking up and writing before I look at my phone or scroll endlessly through more cake-decorating TikTok videos (why are those so addicting??)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I\u2019m going to stop making so many excuses about why I have writer\u2019s block. Then, instead of being too hard on myself, I\u2019m going to celebrate the little baby achievements\u2014even if that\u2019s only adding 10 new words to my WIP that day.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We\u2019re approaching summer (yay!), so I\u2019ll be sitting in the sun more and enjoying the beautiful weather. I may even consider leaving my house once in a while to get into nature.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I\u2019m setting myself writing milestones with \u201cprizes\u201d for each one I hit. Basically, a chore wheel (with perks!) for my novel writing. So far, I\u2019ve come up with small gifts (cake, books, a trip to a nearby bookish town) for each significant step in writing my first draft, based on the percentage toward my goal word count (for this one, it\u2019s 90,000 words).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I\u2019m going to forgive myself when I have a long day at work and can\u2019t eke out a single creative thought, then try again tomorrow.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>TO GET MORE POSTS LIKE THIS SOONER, <a href=\"https:\/\/alexisveenendaalauthor.substack.com\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alexisveenendaalauthor.substack.com\/\">SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I used to be able to write whatever, whenever. I\u2019d write every day. It was freeing. Satisfying. Cathartic. And it still is\u2014sometimes. But it takes a lot more work to get there now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,433],"tags":[434,435,376],"series":[],"class_list":["post-2078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays","category-writing-journey","tag-wip","tag-writers-block","tag-writing"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/music.amazon.ca\/podcasts\/09c34bbc-b359-49af-a286-31830ed5634c\/short-stories","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Play","class":"google_play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0lcQCRs52MfYlKs35lVX4K","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/feed\/podcast\/default-podcast","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"86VC6BrP37\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/10\/i-didnt-believe-in-writers-block-until-it-happened-to-me\/\">I Didn&#8217;t Believe in Writer&#8217;s Block (Until It Happened To Me)<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/10\/i-didnt-believe-in-writers-block-until-it-happened-to-me\/embed\/#?secret=86VC6BrP37\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;I Didn&#8217;t Believe in Writer&#8217;s Block (Until It Happened To Me)&#8221; &#8212; Alexis Veenendaal\" data-secret=\"86VC6BrP37\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2078"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2080,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078\/revisions\/2080"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2078"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=2078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}