Forcing Yourself to Write: When That Works and When It Doesn’t

If you’re someone who keeps running into creative roadblocks every time you sit down to write, it’s a fair question to ask: Are you helping or harming your creative process if you force yourself to write?

The best answer is that it depends on what is causing the ideas to dry up. And there are many reasons for musical ideas to dry up. Mental or physical exhaustion, a demanding work or school schedule, friends who won’t leave you alone– there are many reasons.

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When to “Write No Matter What”

There are in fact times when it is beneficial to your life as an artist to keep working even if you don’t feel like it:

1. You’re the type who gets easily distracted.
2. You don’t like schedules, particularly writing schedules.
3. You can make a schedule, but you often don’t stick to it.
4. You tend to give up when the going gets tough (i.e., you get easy frustrated if musical ideas are elusive.)

All of those situations relate to your sense of personal discipline. A disciplined writer is someone who:

1. works to a schedule;
2. is able to minimize distractions; and
3. keeps working even if it feels difficult, or rewards are few and far between.

In all of those cases, working through a creative block — forcing yourself to write — has benefits. You may not see them right away, but you’ll find that over time, your songwriting process tightens up and improves as you become better at focusing on the task at hand.

So what’s the best way to make yourself write? Try this:

1. Set a schedule in which you write for 30 minutes to an hour at a time, 5 days out of 7.
2. Be sure that you have a good chance to work without interruptions or distractions. Put your phone on “Do not disturb” mode, close your door, and tell people you’re working.
3. If you get stuck or feel frustration building, take a short tea break, or take a walk around the room, but don’t let yourself stray from “work mode.” Remember, it’s discipline you’re trying to hone with this process.

When to Not Write

Everyone feels mild writer’s block from time to time, and that should be considered normal. When it’s something more than mild — if you find yourself stymied for a week or more, where you get frustrated just at the thought of writing, it’s time to take a break.

And you need that break, every now and then. Taking a week or even more away from trying to write should not be considered a failure, if you really feel that you need it. Being creative can be complicated and difficult, even when it’s working for you.

But during those times when you put writing aside, the best way back is to keep doing something creative. Try writing short stories, practicing your instrument, painting, even carpentry… anything that relies on your creative mind. You’ll often find that the switching of gears into a different musical task is all the break you really need to start feeling like a creative writer again.

Written by Gary Ewer. Follow Gary on Twitter

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