Writer's block: Inertia of Creativity

CEBU, Philippines - Again. Again. Again. So how in heaven’s name am I gonna start this?

This is what’s called the Writer’s Block. I’ve been dealing with it in the last few days. It has been killing me softly. So I paid Wikipedia, an online doctor, a visit. And here’s what I’ve found out: Writer’s Block, it is a condition of frustration and misery and something worse, in which an author loses his ability to produce new works.

Creativity is in a state of inertia. To a writer, it’s like losing his own life. Identity. How wounding can that be?

There are different levels to the damage it can inflict. From lacerations to abrasions to contusions to avulsions covering the skin of your soul. Most of the time, it is your soul that experiences those wounds as deep as an abyss. A wound so deep you can’t see its bottom. A wound in which you don’t see blood but darkness. A wound that never closes. A pain that never heals. Leave that wound exposed to this dirty world, and you are lucky if you only get away with an infection.

According to history, a number of famous novelists, poets, screenwriters,  essayists, journalists and aspiring writers also suffered from this. And it just keeps on repeating and repeating —is it history’s nature to repeat itself? If yes, I guess we are doomed. But the Omnipotent One did something kind. He gave the organism the instinct forhomeostasis or self-regulation. But have we even used that God-given instinct? If yes, how come despite that instinct for self-regulation, our way of living still seems to be so unfair and unbalanced? World history shows a lot of asymmetries leading to global catastrophes. You can even see it in your daily dose of television. The human race’s never ending striving for equilibrium.

Here are some of causes of writer’s block: the lack of motivation, or a depleted source of inspiration and the inability to find a new one. The dread of failure. Shame and humiliation. A death of a loved one. Some distractions. Being drowned in the sea of depression. Intimidated or pressured by a previous big success. Oh, and the cliché we call “stress”. Amnesia.

To overcome a block, one can pause, smoke a pack of cigarettes, take some alcoholic drink or stare at the blank wall. Check out a reflection, or take a walk around the vicinity or sleep it out. Then an idea will hopefully knock on your brain.

Well, consider yourself lucky if that happens. Thank your God (If you believe in one). For in extreme cases of writer’s block, some are unable to write not just for a day but for years, decades, even extending to a whole lifetime. They can’t write no matter how hard they try. No matter how much they want to.

For them, life had become a struggle for words and they came to the point of punishing themselves real hard to bleed that perfect blend of words out of their souls. If they could sell their souls to the devil, they probably would.

A plague of frustration infects not just writers but also artists. Every moment of their lives had become nothing but a hunt for that source of motivation, impetus, meaning, reason, drive, inspiration …or whatever you may call it. These forces are vital to creativity. If they fail to find it, they suffer through abandoning their dreams.

Screaming at the top of his lungs, “I’m setting myself free!”, palms wide open to the world, the writer or artist lets go of his dreams. Of his torment.

“Empty thyself, and you shall be filled,” Christ said.

A long time ago, Henry Miller wrote in his book World of Sex something that terribly made sense. He wrote there, “To free oneself from desires, one must have the desire to do so.” (FREEMAN)