One of the biggest frustrations that authors have is when the words won’t flow. Call it writer’s block or don’t. The truth is, staring at a screen or a piece of paper and not being able to write anything sucks. There are online arguments probably every week on whether writer’s block exists or not, how to cure it, and while those discussions are interesting from the perspective of seeing how different authors work, the truth is, as an author with AuDHD, they fell flat to me. I think there’s more going on with writer’s block than just an inability to write.
I learned the acronym BICHOK (Butt In Chair, Hands on Keyboard) early on in my writing career. Also, hands on keyboard doesn’t get a damn thing written unless your fingers are moving and typing. And while I knew what the acronym meant–sitting down to force yourself to write regardless of the circumstances–I also thought it was always a bit simplistic. I mean sure it’s good motivation, and something I think about a smile when I force myself to stop scrolling social media or looking up things online and actually, you know, WRITE. But it’s not a cure all.
How I Focused On My Writer’s Block
My approach to writer’s block changed when I started really focusing on what was going on in that moment in my body and mind. What was I thinking about? (everything) What was my body doing? What thoughts did I have when I thought about writing and why was I avoiding writing?
My thought? That there was “too much” going on. What was I thinking about? Everything. Things that needed to be done on the homestead, projects we were working on, taking care of my mostly senior animals, financial things, health things, all the things. It took me a while, but I quickly realized that I was dealing with autistic overwhelm.
I truly don’t think anyone has connected neurodivergent overwhelm (because it happens to a lot of different neurodivergent folk, not just those of us with autism or AuDHD) with writer’s block before, but once I made the connection within my own experience, well it’s become a bit of a cliche these days, but it changed how I looked at writer’s block and how I approached it.
What changed
With this breakdown, I immediately drew upon my mindfulness skills to bring myself in the moment. I couldn’t fix any of the million things I was thinking about. But I could focus on my nervous system. I could ground my body. I could breathe. And, I could write. Sometimes just a little. Other times, I got into the story and the words flowed. But I learned to embrace the ebb and flow, not push push push until something happened (or it broke)!
I began practicing radical acceptance of where I was in the writing process even if that was staring at a screen and realizing the last thing I wanted to do was write.
I also began to offer more compassion to my body, because while all of this was happening, I was dealing with a health situation that medical providers were not interested in solving and was gathering the pieces of. If I didn’t feel well (or felt like I was going to pass out), I didn’t kick myself for not writing. I asked myself what I needed in the moment.
Radical acceptance.
Mindfulness.
Compassion.
Understanding.
These are things that we know we should offer ourselves, and yet we often find it hard to do so. They are not band-aids anymore than they’re cure-alls. They’re tools. And like any tool they need to be applied correctly and sometimes consistently in order to see results.
For me they’re tools that help ease the overwhelm, quiet my mind, and put me in the moment so I can focus on what’s directly in front of me, not what’s five steps behind or in front of me. They’re tools that allow myself to write with my mind.
The overwhelm is still there. That’s the joy, and I do say that without sarcasm, of living with an AuDHD operating system. One half of my brain craves comfortable, safe, consistent patterns, while the other wants novelty and excitement. I’m sure you can guess which one wins out from day to day. Now, I have tools I can reach for, and that means my stories are being written. And I can’t tell you how glad I am of that.
Curious about what your creative nervous system type is? Take our free quiz. Learning what your creative nervous system type is will help you determine the best way to find balance and stay inspired.