As writers, we all love to sit down at a computer looking at a blank document, ready to start writing our next piece. Our heads are full of creative ideas as we start to type; the words flow flawlessly across the page, and a smile comes across our faces. The excitement builds as the creation that is our baby starts to come together, more ideas emerge in our creative minds, and we sit for hours typing away on what we hope will be a great piece of writing.  

Then there are those other days, the days when you sit there just staring at the blank document, waiting, hoping that any minute now, you’ll get a spark of inspiration that will light the fire for you to start writing. These days are a writer’s nightmare and the days of writer’s block.  

You can stare at the blank document for what seems like hours, and yet, in reality, it has been less than five minutes. You walk away hoping distraction from your planned writing time will help to bring you back to focus, so you do the housework or go for a walk, only to return and find yourself once again just staring at a blank document, still unable to write a single word, so you give up for the day and promise yourself your try again tomorrow.  

Each day, you try again with the same results, finding yourself getting frustrated as you notice deadlines are fast approaching and you have nothing to offer. The realization that you are not being as creative as you want to be starts to bring you down, and instead of trying as much as you were, you find yourself lying on the sofa watching Netflix and eating junk food.  

Then, it suddenly happens when you least expect it. Your creative mind starts up, and suddenly, you have the ability to write once more. You are smiling, and that blank document is now a friend again instead of something you hate looking at. Your words are flowing freely, and new ideas are forming.  

Writer’s block is a nightmare, but maybe it’s just your head’s way of saying, “Give me a break. I need a few days off, and so do you.”  

This was written by our contributing writer, Leah Palmer.