By: Chesz Dylan

Have you experienced a time wherein your mind was like in a total blank? Where you can’t think of any ideas or have run out of words to say? Or perhaps, you’re just staring at your blank sheet of paper or word document and not a single idea ever crossed your mind? Probably, it’s either you are experiencing a Writer’s Block, or a Blank Page Syndrome.

What is the difference between the two? Actually, they are both similar in terms of description. However, Writer’s Block deals more in psychological aspects, whereas the latter has no symptoms at all.

Writer’s Block happens mostly to writers. It is a condition wherein, you are unable to think or come up with an idea for your story or article. It could be because you lack inspiration, you are distracted, you are stressed or due to a creative problem within your work.

Inspiration is one of the important factors in writing a story. It is where you create your plot, the twists, and sometimes (if not oftentimes), it affects the ending of your story. Your inspiration could come from your relationship, your idol or mentor and your favorite book, movie or anime. It could also be based on your surroundings and your habits.

People are distracted most of the times. And for a writer, it could cause a delay or slow pace in your story. Not that you don’t need it for a break. The problem of distraction is when it’s diverting your goal, attention or your time, instead of focusing on your story. All writers need things to be done with a deadline.

Some serious reasons, why writers are encountering Writer’s Block, is due to stress. Stress that can lead to serious physical illnesses and depressions. You run out of ideas because your mental condition is unstable. Or you are suffering from a migraine that hinders your thought to process information. You cannot think because of the pressure in your work, pressure in your relationship and pressure in your surroundings. You are comparing your story to those now-famous writers who were once in your league. And most especially, you are stress because of the deadline. This stress could cause hiatus if you didn’t respond to it immediately.

Another issue that most writers are unaware of is the problem in your story itself. All writers want compelling stories that will motivate their readers. Because we think of many ideas and thoughts, we ended up with plot holes that oftentimes, we don’t know how to connect those ideas to our story.

Unlike Writer’s Block, the Blank Page Syndrome is indicated by not having an idea from the beginning. It could probably have something to do with your mood, so you can’t think of anything to write. It’s also because you lack in sleep, so your mind is wandering or not functioning at that time. And you are just staring at a blank page, and you completely forgot what you’re supposed to write.
Either of these two could take from short-term or long-term loss of ideas and thoughts. But, in order to avoid Writer’s Block and Blank Page Syndrome, you should have thought about it from the beginning. Write on a paper or type on your word document the plot, the characters, the settings and the supposed-to-be ending of your story. That way, you can still trace, organize and connect your thoughts and stories if you came up with a new idea. Take a break, like travel somewhere or take a short stroll at the park. What you perceived around you could contribute to your story. Engage yourself in free writing and brainstorming. Sometimes, making a new story will refresh your mind and create new ideas and plot twists. And lastly, read any stories or articles and watch any, if not new, movies or animes.

In general, it’s inevitable as all writers have experienced and or experiencing one of these. The question would be, how are you coming up with your Writer’s Block or Blank Page Syndrome?