What if it’s not Writer’s Block?

Like every writer, I occasionally get blocked. Most days, writing feels easy, like there’s a wave swelling in my chest and the words flow into my Google Doc. I can’t type fast enough.

And some days I sit down to write and I’d rather be anywhere else. Creating something new starts to feel like pushing a boulder up a hill. Blerg! Writer’s Block!

But sometimes, the words won’t come for a different reason. The ideas are there, on the tip of my mind, like I’m a shaken soda bottle ready to burst. Unhelpful thoughts are there, too, keeping me capped, like…

“What if people think I’m boring?”

“Why are all my ideas terrible?”   

And then… “What if no one reads it?”  

Or worse: “What if lots of people read it?”

That last one is what really freezes my fingers over the keyboard. It’s not that I can’t think of what to say. It’s that people might read what I have to say. 

Oh, it’s The Ghosts of Self Doubt again. This is how Self-Trust Coach Shohreh Davoodi describes the outside voices in our head that aren’t really us. And I love picturing them as wispy apparitions, like Casper the Friendly Ghost. 

I laugh and it breaks the spell. I know it’s time to step away. Pause. Take a deep breath.  

That pause—it’s such a small thing, but it makes all the difference because it gives me space.

Some of my ideas are countercultural, and as I start sharing what I really think, those ghosts get louder. I’m feeling unsure—and those dear old friends are trying to keep me safe. 

I went to Catholic school through 5th grade, where my questions about The Truth they taught us weren’t always welcome. I remember feeling embarrassed that I had asked them, squirming in my seat and wishing everyone would stop looking at me.  

But today, I know that dismissing ideas that question the status quo—that’s a move made by those with unearned power to keep that power.  

And as I listen to my ghosts, I hear that the block is not around writing. It’s around publishing what I’ve yet to write. 

I look out the window. Feel my feet on the ground.     

I marvel at how I can write a thing, send it into the world, and you, who I’ve likely never met, can read it. As I was writing this article, my partner received a message from a friend who said they’d been touched by something I’d written, and this person lives an ocean away from me. 

Those thoughts that are bubbling up—are they showing you a truth you’re hiding from?

If no one would judge your work, what would you write, or paint, or compose?

How might you create a sense of safety for yourself when sharing your creation?  

Our Ghosts of Self Doubt are not to be ignored. We can hear them out, take the wisdom they have to share, and leave behind what no longer serves us.  

The next time you feel blocked, pause and let your curiosity and wonder help you get unstuck so you can share in spite of the fear you might be feeling. We need your ideas, your art, your music. Don’t let your ghosts keep you in hiding.