“Get To Know Dana Kenzi” Week: Day 4: How I Combat Writer’s Block

For authors, writer’s block is no joke. It can slow down a production schedule, push back a launch, or even fuel your own negative opinions about yourself. There is a myriad of reasons why it happens, but for me it’s because I have a mental heath disorder and an executive function disorder. More specifically I have Persistent Depressive Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Combined type.

 

Now before you scoff and say neither exists or that it makes me dangerous to others, please just close this tab and find something else to do. I was diagnosed almost three years ago, and I still have to argue with people who don’t actually know about either disorder and haven’t done research on it. Frankly, I’m tired of doing that since some people are so committed to their false beliefs that no amount of evidence will sway them. But if you’re sympathetic to those like me, keep reading.

 

Life is hard, and I have two neurological disorders making it extra hard for me. Sometimes my brain tells me that I’m not good enough or that I’ll never be successful or that people don’t really like me. It’s a struggle every day to counteract by reminding myself of all the times those negative thoughts proved to be false. I also have to remember that other people are human too. Someone might snap at me for something but that doesn’t mean they always hated me. It means I did something to push them over the edge and that I need to apologize if I was in the wrong. It’s a lot of hard work, but I do have friends, family, and colleagues who check in on me every so often.

 

All those mental struggles sometimes pour over into my life as an author. I try so hard to stick to a writing and publishing schedule, but I’m not always that successful with my goals. It’s frustrating, but then I have to keep reminding myself that I am dealing two disorders during the whole process, so I give myself a break. However, I can’t just leave it at that. Knowing is one thing, but finding solutions is the next step. From experience, I’ve come up with a few workarounds for writer’s block.

 

One of the major ones that I rely on too much is watching porn. I do have the fear that if I die before my parents, they’re going to discover my porn history. But I also need to do what needs to be done to get into the mood to write. Sometimes I focus on the porn videos too much and take twice as long to write, but at least I got my writing goal for the day done. If I don’t watch porn, I read erotica either from my Kindle Library or from Literotica. Either way, I’ve found that getting horny helps get me in the writing mood.

 

Another workaround is self-care. I might treat myself to something to get my mood up so that I feel like writing. It might be a movie, meal, treat, or youtube video. As long as it makes me happy and want to write, then I go for it. I’d also like to point out that water, food, or sleep are essentials when it comes to writing, so don’t skimp on any of those.

 

Writing sprints or low word count goals is another huge one. Either set a timer for 25-30 minutes and do nothing but write or write at least 250 words for the day. This isn’t so much as a writer’s block workaround as it is a minimal effort thing. It’s better than not writing at all, and I recommend this for the days when you’re sick and exhausted.

 

These are my main methods for dealing with writer’s block when my brain just isn’t having it. There’s also the popular Pomodoro method which is great for people like me with ADHD, so I highly recommend that as well.

 

Writing is tough, but for some of us it’s also a job. There are going to be times when you can’t afford not to write, so I hope these suggestions help you with your writer’s block.