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Writer’s Block: Causes and its process to overcome

Romi Nakarmi

Westcliff University

BUS600: Managerial Communication

Professor Shrestha

March 15, 2021

Introduction

In recent times Writer’s block has been an issue that affects the quality and quantity of

the author’s final products. It affects the quality of work-life in the corporate world also in

writing communication such as letters, memos, and other forms of written correspondence

reports which may lead to various issues. Effective writing is becoming particularly significant in

today's business world. We believe that writer’s block is one of the major factors to the crisis in

today’s modern business writing. Risk of making errors, lack of experience in the writing process

loss of language are all potential causes writer fails while communicating through

writing[ CITATION Bas17 \l 1033 ].

The definition and the concept of "writer's block "come from English professors and teachers

who have seen firsthand the "frustrating, self-defeating inability to generate the next line, the

right phrase, or the sentence that will release the flow of words again"[ CITATION Kel08 \l

1033 ]. In simple context, writer's block is the circumstance in which a skilled writer who wants

to write is incapable to write which is mainly caused by when writers can't think about what to

write or when writers haven't come with new concepts and innovative ideas.

We have boundless creativity and then drought conditions of writers' block. For sake of

our passion, we compromise our sleeping, hunger, relationships, and even leaving far from our

homes so that we can be credible in the real world[CITATION Int16 \l 1033 ]. We hope and

pursue only depression and rejection. If our work becomes too much for us then we can lose

interest in it. However, I have a belief like I am not the only one who thinks in this way. The

need for effective and successful written communication is free from negative effects and is not

just a business issue. As I mentioned, writing is the hardest thing and it requires planning,
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thinking, and organizing that also necessitates verbal proficiency, and a degree of self-assurance

which we mostly lack at a time[ CITATION Bav191 \l 1033 ].

There are internal and external causes for writer's block. The drive for perfection and fear

is one of the main internal causes of writer's block of writing communications in the business

world. No one aims to have weakness in this area because vocabulary, fluency, and grammar are

the excellence to represent our knowledge and reasoning abilities[ CITATION Led15 \l 1033 ].

During our schooling, We are overwhelmed with these requirements and rules about correctness

and we implement these principles And in the business world, people hesitate to take a role and

step that results in writing misunderstood, loss of belief of customer, or even loss of a successful

employee. Writer's block can also be caused by a strong feeling while analysis proves that an

objective approach is preferable in business (especially when preparing an investment appeal, a

convincing letter, or rejection letter), but it is difficult to put feelings aside too. For example

when a business writer is angry then it is difficult in effective writing, he|she feels pressured and

distracted while completing the project. All these examples demonstrate that the causes of

writer's block are unique in a different way. And to treat each block differently, each block must

be managed effectively. This operation is still in progress. we take the block more seriously as

our responsibility increases. Some of the factors that caused the writer's block are briefly

explained below:

Fear

One of the key causes of writer's block is the fear of being judged by others or refused by

readers. For example, English is the second language for Nepali people. When I was in my

school I had anxiety about writing in my project, it feels like I have made mistakes in grammar
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or something error in vocabulary that blocked my performances. so stop worrying and be sure

that starting today will be better than starting tomorrow.

Perfectionism

When we just have the piece in our mind, it ensures a degree of perfection for that

writing. Perfectionism is the effect of setting unrealistically high expectations. The

perfectionistic effect leads to habits that make writing difficult, such as being unnecessarily

critical of one's work and eliminating it too soon. Since our grammar, spelling, Language are

supposed to represent who we are but no one likes to expose their failure in this

sector[ CITATION Led15 \l 1033 ]. For example, In business writing, they are very concerned

with correctness and a strong desire for excellence caused the writer's block.

Lack of Motivation

Sometimes writers may have lost their motivation to write or desire to do something. It

has been estimated that highly motivated writers are more creative in their writings but

sometimes writers feel exhausted and stop enjoying writing and think of new concepts. So to

avoid these problems you can join a writing group, you can take feedback from professional

writers, and can improve in writing. You don't need to be discouraged if you have a problem in

writing, every experienced writer can face this problem.

Writer's block is more challenging to overcome, it's something we all face at some stages

during our learning and development. The toughest thing is to start the habit of writing soI have

listed some points and explained step by step process with examples for managing crisis and

overcome the writer's block effectively which are as below:

Take a Break
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If you feel exhausted while thinking too much about writing then you can go a walk and

take a tea /coffee break. If you want to be fresh you can take a shower. There are some scientific

reasons that studies show while taking a break from stressful work, you can change your mind

with new concepts. It helps you to make a fresh start with new energy and abilities. Relying on

my experience I also go for a walk and need my brain open and make it more accessible to start

doing my project.

Remove Distraction

Remove all sources of disturbance around you like Phones, desktops, gadgets, friends,

etc. You need to focus all your attention on your writing. For example, the truth is that if you can

get rid of the stuff like what my dog did, I'm curious to know what happens on Instagram. It's

hard to focus your all attention on your writing but avoiding the distractions assures that it will

progress your challenging section and make much improvement while focusing on your

outcomes.

Better to speak up

This has proven highly effective for me. Before I move to my office I try to think and

prepare to give a talk whatever I am going to write now and later. It helps in thinking about the

subject matter and on the other hand, it helps to come up with your new ideas and concepts

without any frustration in your work. For example, speaking up with my colleague who is the

content writer and blogger in my organization, their work is to write a lot, think in a very creative

way, and sum up with new concepts. However, they face the pending task and have more work

pressure.
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I and my other colleagues tried to catch him and discuss his problem. When he gets

confused and distracted we try to assist him in writing. When we start writing we also have to

listen to other suggestions that help us to generate an effective outline for our project.

Take it easy on your first draft

As I mentioned, Perfectionism is one of the main causes of writer's block. Writers put lots of

stress and pressure to sound correct for the first time. Allowing yourself to make an outline and

rough work without much concern about correctness, grammar, spelling, etc can develop your

ability[ CITATION Fin19 \l 1033 ]. We all know that "Practice makes a man perfect" so that you

can come up with success. This is one of the good alternatives who don't like to talk more about

it. Create the number of main points and make details for each point that are included in the

paragraph. This helps to interpret your work and end with multiple concepts that result in the

best outcomes.

Start on the writing process

Firstly, you don't need to write like a professional writer. Avoid grammatical errors,

language problems, etc. Just think deeper and make an outline and write your ideas on your

paper. And you have to make sure that your planning doesn't need to be unique. As I mentioned

before fear is one of the keys caused for writer's block. When I was at my school level I was very

concerned to write on my project for the correct use of grammar and its rules. and I wouldn't

make my writing effective. Later, in my high school, we have to write lots of report and projects

that change my habits to write more confidently.

Learn and practice

To overcome the block crises you need to speak with qualified writers. Create an effort

to work with high-quality writings. You need to flow the instruction of the writing process

without any hesitation come out with raw ideas, plan and make the outline and summarize the

outline with better outcomes.

Conclusion

In summary, self-knowledge is the best remedy to overcome writer's block. When you

figure out what's keeping you from writing, you'll be able to implement strategies to overcome it

and get back to writing sooner rather than later. We always expect that whatever we intend to do

would be too challenging, or even more complex, than we expected. you don't have to figure out

anything immediately. Continue to draw back the blinds, look ahead, and experiment with new

strategies to get you where you want to go. But there's a chance it'll be simpler than you think.

Besides, as we work against our ambitions, the tough edge of the challenge is tempered by our

motivation and the knowledge that we have entered the ring.

References

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