: Re: What are the reasons behind Writer's block? I read the question Help! I've got Writer's Block which explains solutions to the problem. I was wondering why someone gets writer's block?

@Bryan361

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As can be gathered from the other answers, there are many causes of writer's block. It will be impossible to deal with them all at once, meaning you will, at some point, experience it. Don't worry. We all have.

I've seen (and agree with) several answers mentioning fatigue and stress. Hildred also mentioned various forms of indecision, which is, in my experience, the most common form of writer's block. I believe there is a very large cause however, which everyone else has overlooked: lack of a theme.

If you'd like to look into themes in detail, check out chapter fourteen of Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. It is an invaluable resource. In a nutshell though, a theme is the point you are trying to convey with your novel. A lot of novels (and more so movies) do not have a theme. They consist purely of twisty plots, complex characters, or a combination of the two. Those things drive the novels forwards. In these novels, there is no theme, no message.

NOTE: In such novels as character studies, the theme is the character. The author feels it is important for you to meet this person, or occasionally, place.

A theme is important because it is the message you feel passionate about. You feel your readers need to know about it, and it is for this reason that you write the whole novel in the first place. Your passion gives you drive to keep writing. Being the opposite of boredom, this passion also keeps you writing.

Build your novel from your theme, not the other way around. Do this, and no matter what writer's block hits you, you will always be able to overcome it in the end and keep writing, because you believe in what you are writing about.

Short answer:

Cause: A lack of theme.

Solution: Build your story from a theme you are passionate about.

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