The Solution That Came Out of The Silence
How to deal with the inner silence or emptiness that is keeping you from writing
If you wander around the "writing bubble" on Substack or Medium.com, you'll find a lot of articles dealing with the subject of writing block.
If you have a real writing block, nothing but time can break it. If it persists, you might want to see a doctor or therapist, because the reasons for your block may be much deeper.
But some people confuse silence with a writing block. Silence means that your creativity needs a break or new input. I know that inner silence may feel scary to you, but you cannot come up with new ideas right away. Sometimes there are boundaries that keep you from writing. Is your brain preoccupied with another issue that is bothering you? Do you have too many other things on your to-do list?
Don't silence your inner silence. Don't seek out the next best distraction. No amount of Instagram reels or TikTok videos will fill your silence in a valuable way. But silence itself can. All you have to do is listen to your inner voice, and all you need is (maybe some love, but) patience.
Here are some tips from my experience about inner silence:
Listen to music: In Germany we have a saying: "Where songs are sung, you're welcome to stay, because those with bad intentions won't sing or play". You cannot underestimate the positive effect that music has on your inner balance. It frees thoughts and feelings that you were not even aware were stuck. My personal way: Sometimes in such a situation I listen to music from a long time ago. And as we know, the feelings we connect with music store memories in a very deep way.
Ask yourself: What do I need? We often skip our own needs for various reasons like "no time", "urgent todos" or "helping others". But what keeps us running and working is meeting our own needs. Hunger or thirst may be one of the most basic, but there are many more, and most are related to our emotions. If we don't take care of our needs, we will feel bad. Sooner or later.
Doodle: Some people avoid this and their argument is that they have no talent for drawing. But that's not the point. Doodling is just something you do. It's not about creating art, it's about dealing with your inner stress in a creative way. Give it a try and you will find that not only will you make some fun drawings, but you will also give your creativity a way to express itself.
Doodling with words: What do I mean by that? Let me explain. Sometimes, when I have an irresistible urge to write, but nothing to write about, I sit down, take out my notebook, and start writing "nonsense". Random crazy ideas pop into my head, puns, aphorisms, or just dada. It is as much fun as scribbling, except you are writing. You don't have to show this "forest" to anyone, but maybe the next moment (or a few years later) it will provide the idea for your next article.
Read something you would not otherwise read: Reading fuels your creativity, especially if you read something you wouldn't normally read. Maybe some really long essays, aphorisms, poems. You won't believe what the simple presence of deep, creative thoughts can do to your writing.
AI Twist
Challenge the AI with nonsense, dada, randomness. Type some more or less weird things into the prompt field and see what happens. I tried this:
I am writing an article about inner emptiness and writer's block. Give me 5 starting points that combine the random 5 keywords you gave me. Be deep and mindful, fun is possible but not necessary. Here are the keywords: iPhone, table lamp, student, water bottle, historical science.
The keywords came from the first five things I saw at my current location in the university library. But you can combine other weird things as well.
Expert Tip
Are you a multi-passionate person? Someone who's interested in everything, or at least a lot of things you want to try? In this case, it might seem difficult to manage your inner silence, because how do you find out if you're in a silence phase or just interested in something different? Read Andi Bitay's article "Why Your 'Scattered' Interests Are Actually Your Superpower" and find out how to deal with it.