How I Lost My Creativity (and Found it Again)
By: Isabella Grey
Tags: Self Improvement, Creative, Inspiration, Beyourself, Writing

All writers know the mind-numbing frustration of writer’s block. There are some days you will the words to leek from your hands and out through your keyboard, but those pesky little things can be stubborn.

Normally, writer’s block is curable with a steady diet of reading and writing. Practice gets those creative juices flowing, and soon enough, your hands will work faster than your mind can keep up with.

But, as I said, that’s normally. I had writer’s block for the majority of last year.

I read, I wrote, I practiced, and nothing helped. After a while, I lost faith in myself as a writer. If I wanted to make a career out of this, shouldn’t I be better at it?

Then, after taking months off from writing, I realized the problem. I didn’t have anything worthwhile to say.

Don’t lie to your readers — they can tell

Have you ever heard the saying, “write what you know”? Yes, well, I wasn’t doing that.

As a writer (and reader), my favorite genre is fantasy with its intricate worldbuilding systems, complex characters, and a grand sense of wonder. When I was younger, I would spend hours pouring over every title I could get my hands on, marveling at the strong female protagonists who would save the world.

They always blew me away. How could I not want to write something like that for a younger generation of readers, when the genre impacted me so much as a kid?

But fantasy is tricky. While the elements of a story should have some, well, fantastical elements, the main conflicts and themes should be grounded in reality. How else can readers connect with the story if it’s unrelatable?

This same concept holds true of all genres. While your plot can be fictional, the heart of the story needs to hold a grain of reality. Your reality, to be more specific.

To help brainstorm some ideas, ask yourself these questions:

What moment(s) had a profound impact on my life?

What were the greatest challenges I encountered, and how did I overcome them?

Who has impacted my life and in what ways?

When did I experience a turning point in my life? What was the incident that caused this change?

How did I feel when [insert impactful moment here] happened?

What did I do well in these important situations, and what do I wish I had done differently?

I began to think about these tough questions — the what’s and why’s of my experiences to-date. Reflecting made me realize that I wasn’t writing anything real to me. I was writing every trope in the book (which, for YA books, is quite a lot) and had unknowingly fallen into the trap of aiming for virality rather than authenticity.

In short, I was writing garbage. And after a while, even I didn’t believe in it anymore.

Make memories and write about them

To write well-rounded stories, you need to be a well-rounded person. Your plot and characters will only be as complex as you, and your experiences, are.

So step out of your comfort zone and go have some new ones.

During this phase of neverending writer’s block, I had been knee-deep in a personal slump. I was comfortable, complacent, and every day was exactly like the one before (cue Belle’s inner monologue). There’s no wonder why I had trouble writing.

Here are some ways to put yourself out there:

Join a club, volunteer, or participate in a MeetUp group. New people, experiences, and places can provide the inspiration you need to dive back into your writing.

New people, experiences, and places can provide the inspiration you need to dive back into your writing. Travel more — even around your own city . With the world in its current situation, traveling is a bit limited, but you can head for sights right in your backyard. I moved to Boston a few years ago and have recently embraced being a tourist in my (new) home. There’s history everywhere, and putting yourself in the mindset to really look for it can help you see your surroundings, and your writing, differently.

. With the world in its current situation, traveling is a bit limited, but you can head for sights right in your backyard. I moved to Boston a few years ago and have recently embraced being a tourist in my (new) home. There’s history everywhere, and putting yourself in the mindset to really look for it can help you see your surroundings, and your writing, differently. Have uncomfortable conversations. Sit down with friends, family, and coworkers and start a conversation about the things that matter — both to you personally and the critical conversations happening in our country right now. Talking with another person can give you a fresh perspective and challenge you to ask tough questions about yourself and the world around you.

Sit down with friends, family, and coworkers and start a conversation about the things that matter — both to you personally and the critical conversations happening in our country right now. Talking with another person can give you a fresh perspective and challenge you to ask tough questions about yourself and the world around you. Set aside free time in your schedule. As adults, we often rush from one thing to another and don’t stop to notice or appreciate the little things. Go for a walk in a new neighborhood, take an art class, spend time listening to music (and not as background noise). Let yourself have the freedom to try new things and be present in your own life.

Writing a book is impossible without acknowledging your humanity. Regardless of your talent, readers won’t be able to connect with your work because there’s nothing in it that reflects their own lives.

The most common piece of advice I’ve received about writing was, of course, to write. Create a schedule, establish a pattern, push through the hard days. With time, writing will become easier, like working out a muscle.

While that’s absolutely true, I found that in order to grow as a writer, I needed to first grow as a person. I had to shove myself out of the comfort zone I built up, open myself up to new experiences, and then reflect on what I learned or felt from those moments.

Deepak Chopra said it best: “life is a field of unlimited possibilities.” Go out there and try a few — your future readers will thank you one day.