Is writer's block real?

Some authors don't believe writer's block is real, but I say it's all in how you define it

For the short answer: Yes, writer's block is real. The long answer is more complex. Some authors don't believe writer's block exists. Some do. It all depends on how they define writer's block. Unless you've had a life altering event that's created a physical impediment to your ability to get words onto paper or into your computer, then nothing is stopping you from physically writing—and some authors think this means that writer's block isn't real. Or, because they can explain the cause of someone's inability to write, they believe writer's block is just an excuse for not addressing the problem.

I say it doesn't matter why you can't write. The very act of not being able to write means you have writer's block. So your characters need reworking and you just don't have the energy to tackle the problem, and it drags on for weeks... Sure, you need to address the issue of why you don't have the energy or the will to move forward, but your block is real. If it weren't, you'd get on with it and that would be the end of the issue.

Writer's block is a real mental condition that affects many writers and makes it difficult or impossible for them to be as creatively inclined or as motivated or inspired to get their stories out of their minds and into a written form. There's no way to be sure that depression or other mental illnesses aren't ultimately responsible for a person's writer's block. Depending on the severity of your block, the cause could be nearly anything.

Here on this site, I take a more generous view of writer's block. Not only do I include these severe forms of writer's block in my definition of what the condition is, I also see milder cases as valid forms of writer's block for authors.

Any decrease in creativity or productivity when it comes to your writing might be a case of writer's block

Writer's block is real, but something has to cause writer's block—it doesn't just happen. It isn't a cause in and of itself. It's an effect, and the only way to cure the block is to discover the root problem and solve it, or find a way to work around it.

Scenarios that fit my definition of writer's block

• a decline in a writer's productivity that can't be explained by external events such as lack of time to write
• an increase in the difficulty of writing that can't be explained by the material being created (an easy scene or section of a manuscript is taking significantly longer or is significantly more difficult to write than it should, and you have no real explanation for the added difficulty)
• an inability to focus on the process of writing, without adequate external explanations for the lack of attention

Yes, writer's block is real. The next question you should be asking is, "How do I get over my writer's block?"