All writers face writer’s block at one time or another. There are many reasons for it—and many possible solutions. The key to getting back to writing quickly is learning to diagnose what kind of writer’s block you have and then treating that particular problem.
Over the course of my writing career, I’ve noticed that my writer’s block tends to fall into three categories, which I’ll describe from the least troubling to the most difficult to remedy. When I talk about writer’s block, I often liken it to drawing water from a well. This analogy helps me think about the creative process as a kind of plumbing issue—it brings the esoteric into the practical.
Level 1 (not terribly serious): Problems with priming the well
Level 2 (moderately serious): The pipes are blocked
Level 3 (very serious): The well is dry
Just like an illness, writer’s block has remedies. But each version needs a different treatment. Applying the right cure matters.
Level 1: Problems with Priming the Well
Calling up our creativity is a bit like priming a well. Within each of us there is a wellspring of creative energy—a life force—that we can tap into and bring to the surface. This creative energy is a well of sweet, flowing water that we can sprinkle over all our endeavors: solving a problem at work, finding a new way to communicate with a family member, or working on a creative project like our writing.
To access this energy, we must prime the well. We have to pump ourselves up and develop practices that bring the water quickly and easily to the surface. This might look like a daily writing time, a weekly writing group, or a monthly book club. With consistent effort, we keep the water flowing so it’s available whenever we need it.
The simplest remedy for writer’s block is routine and consistency. Brew your usual cup of tea, sit in your favorite chair, turn on soothing music, and follow the patterns that encourage a regular writing practice. Try this for a week or two before concluding that you’re truly blocked.
Level 2: The Pipes Are Blocked
Sometimes we follow all our usual routines to prime the well, but the creativity still doesn’t flow. Something is blocking the pipes, preventing our creative energy from reaching the surface and allowing us to write freely and easily.
Often, this kind of blockage is emotional. Fear can prevent us from expressing our thoughts clearly. Sadness can cloud our senses and make words feel distant and fuzzy. Sometimes it’s sheer exhaustion—tiredness that keeps us from maintaining the routines that make creativity possible in the first place.
This form of writer’s block is more serious because it requires deeper work. We must look honestly at what’s clogging the stream of creativity. Occasionally, we need to call in a plumber to roto-rooter the pipes. That might mean talking with a trusted friend, booking a few sessions with a therapist, or stepping away from a manuscript to journal instead. It may require tending to personal needs before pushing ourselves toward publication.
Level 3: The Well Is Dry
The most serious form of writer’s block occurs when the creative well itself has run dry. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen often—hopefully only a few times in a writer’s life. This kind of chronic block usually results from overusing our creative supply without replenishing it.
It often appears after completing a large creative project or during periods when personal challenges overwhelm us. Births, deaths, war, disease, relocations, and job changes can all be deeply depleting. Extended periods of emotional or creative labor can drain the wellspring within us.
This level of writer’s block takes patience and gentleness to heal. It calls for intentional rest and recuperation. Prayer, meditation, long walks, afternoon naps, coffee dates with friends, and visits to favorite museums can all help slowly bring creativity back into our lives. The depth of depletion—and the quality of replenishment—will determine how long we remain in this creative hibernation.
As dramatic as this sounds, there is a silver lining. When the well is dry, we are often invited to dig deeper. If we bore down into our inner selves, we may eventually—God willing—tap into a greater source of creativity that connects us to something larger than ourselves. While I wouldn’t wish this most painful challenge on anyone, I do hope that, when it comes, it leads you to the deepest and purest waters of inspiration.
Final Thoughts
So I’m curious—which of these forms of writer’s block have you experienced? Are you simply out of rhythm and needing to prime the well again? Are your pipes blocked by something tender or unresolved? Or does your well feel dry, calling for rest rather than effort?
If you’d like help discerning where you are—and what kind of care your writing life needs right now—I’d love to write alongside you. Through Story Spring, I work as a writing coach with writers at every stage, helping them reconnect with their creativity, build sustainable practices, and move forward with clarity and compassion. You don’t have to navigate writer’s block alone. Sometimes all it takes is a thoughtful conversation to get the creative waters flowing again.
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