Writer’s Block: How to Beat Technology Blocks

Ever have writer’s block hit you in the face so hard the whole day didn’t turn out how you planned? Me too.

Sometimes plans change. Schedules get disrupted. Writers block rattles our unshakeable resolves…well, you get the picture. 

Earlier this week, I had a plan. I was going to master how to maximize my search engine optimization for this week’s blogpost. 

Before beginning my lesson on SEO, I decided I was going to follow EVERY. SINGLE. GUIDELINE. the teacher gave me, and by doing so it would be a breeze. No procrastination. No problems. Just following the steps. Easy.

But then the plan hit a wall… 

What I thought would be easy to implement came with some unexpected problems, incompatible plugins, and elusive keywords which led to an emotional meltdown. 

It was not my proudest moment. 

I was distressed and still didn’t have my blogpost written, because I spent the whole time trying to find good keywords. 

I had hit a different kind of writer’s block. Not a block involving how to write a novel, but a writer’s block against the technical, nitty-gritty side of being a writer, namely technology.

I was at my wit’s end, crying from exhaustion, and wondering if I would ever master the technology I needed for writing.

Sound at all familiar? Perhaps your technology writing block was from a new writing software, a failed upload of your novel work-in-progress to the cloud, or a crashed computer.

These types of writing blocks can be extremely frustrating and irritating. However, there is a lesson to be learned through these types of blocks other than our need for further education and patience.

While we are addressing a technological type of writing block instead of a creative type, the principles on how to overcome the block are the same, just with a twist.

Beating Writer’s Block, Technology Style

Suffering from technological writing blocks made my day difficult, but something creative I did lifted my head above the water: I worked on my novel, unscheduled. 

I edited 500 words. 500 words I didn’t have before. 500 words I wasn’t planning on editing. And 500 words that reminded me why I became a fiction writer in the first place. 

I didn’t start fiction writing to figure out how to use search engine optimization. Yes, SEO is crucial to blogging and finding readers who will adore your fictitious works. But, fiction is where I started, and it is ultimately what makes me feel sane. 

Instead of balancing the creative with the technical, I got caught up for days in the technical workings, while ignoring my fiction writing—the novel which got me started on this path in the first place. 

By ignoring the side of writing I am most in love with, I got discouraged by everything going wrong and forgot the reason I decided to persevere through the less glamorous tasks of being a fiction writer.

I decided to persevere not to be a SEO ninja (though that would be awesome and, hopefully, will be the case someday), but I persevere because I want to write my stories, get them out into the world, and help more fiction writers do the same.

Love is what gives us the power to persevere —our love for stories. When we forget to practice what we love, our motivation wanes, we become discouraged, and feel blocked in our ability to move forward.

Unblock Tip 1: Practice What You Love

When you are feeling technologically blocked and have been pounding your head against your computer screen for two hours, it’s time to take a step back.

Set aside the problem, and tap into your well of perseverance: Story writing.

Love is an extremely powerful force. The love which spurred you onto pursuing writing will not fail. It has gotten you this far, it will carry you still.

So sit down in a different environment than where your problem is residing (Example: If your technological problem is at your desk, try writing at your kitchen table or the couch), and start working on your story.

Draft, edit, learn from a book on how to write a novel. Get out of the technology for a moment and immerse yourself in what you love doing most in fiction writing.

Reacquaint yourself with your love, and I promise you will be on your way to unblocking your writing block.

Related: How to Stay in Love With Writing, and Why It’s Important

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Unblock Tip 2: Sit Down and Solve

Just like the writer’s blocks we experience while writing a novel, the key to overcoming the block is to sit down in the chair and figure it out.

It’s that simple, and that hard.

But that’s where tip one above comes into play. When you realign yourself with what you love, you will find the strength to persevere through the hardest of tasks.

So don’t narrow your focus on the problem, but expand your focus to embrace why you’re putting in the effort to accomplish whatever task you’re working on.

Writer’s block is solved by giving our best tries, even if we have no idea what we’re doing.

Because this is hard, try to ease the tension by doing things you like. Make a cup of tea, go to your favorite coffee shop, or listen to music in the background.

While it won’t make the task easier, coming to the fight with some comfort in an uncomfortable situation will assist the break down of writer’s block.

Ready to Defeat Writer’s Block?

While I’m still not certain how I’ll figure out SEO for myself, I do know I’ll figure it out. Why? Because it’s worth my effort.

SEO is what will help share my novels with the world in the years to come. There’s more than SEO I’ll have to do to make that happen, but SEO is a piece of the puzzle.

All the computer crashes, publishing process, SEO—anything we work on—is for getting our stories out to readers. 

When I remember that, I remember it is worth the frustration to get through. 

So perhaps this blogpost isn’t SEO worthy, but I decided to write it anyway, applying what I’ve learned so far. I’m rising to the challenge because my reason for writing is bigger than my writing block.

You are a storyteller, and you will get your story out no matter what it’ll cost in time, energy, or money. You’ll make it happen. 

We’ll crush our writer’s blocks with the determination to get our stories into the hands of readers.

In time our perseverance will be rewarded by seeing our books on a bookshop’s bookshelf or the pages of an online store. Someday we’ll meet in-person the readers who’ll appreciate all we did to get our stories into their hands. 

Now that is worth the effort of crushing our writer’s blocks to dust.

Related: Where Should You Delegate Your Writing Time, Stories vs. Platform?