Supposedly, the best remedy for writer's block is to just write anyways. According to the advice it doesn't matter what you write, or even that it is any good, the act of writing will clear away the block. The advice is sound, but it seems to me that it is more of a workaround than an actual remedy. Generally speaking, if you have writer's block you have one of two problems: a) You are bereft of ideas, or b) You have an overabundance of ideas. The idea behind writing anyways is that either you'll figure out what to write about or that you'll get some writing done regardless. So, even if you don't know what to write you might still end up with a nice block of text. The problem is that I feel the advice doesn't actual help with the actual issue.
Writing even though you are experiencing writer's block will still give you the benefit of having written something. The question is, does that writing benefit you? If all you're going for is practice, then sure, you gain a little benefit. If you were hoping for some quality content, however, I'd argue that you are pretty much out of luck. The best you might hope for are some good ideas or a few particularly good lines that you can transplant into something worthwhile.
The thing about writing through a writer's block is that the problem isn't actually solved right away. You're essentially just breaking the damn so that you aren't still stuck the next time you sit down. If you'll excuse some bathroom imagery, it's like a stuck toilet. You can grab your plunger and jam it down in there. That will clear the block but you haven't actually achieved what you set out to do until you flush it all down. It's the same for writer's block. And on that subject, writing through writer's block is about as enjoyable as plunging a clogged toilet too.
At its best working through a block can help you figure out what you actually want to write, in much the same way that doing anything when you're bored can help you realize what you actually wanted to do. At its worst though working through it can feel as though you've wasted an afternoon. Essentially, writer's block sucks. A writer writes though, and the advice to write something, anything, is still the most effective solution I've come across yet. If nothing else you are doing what a writer is supposed to be doing, even if the result looks like you murdered a dictionary.
Writing even though you are experiencing writer's block will still give you the benefit of having written something. The question is, does that writing benefit you? If all you're going for is practice, then sure, you gain a little benefit. If you were hoping for some quality content, however, I'd argue that you are pretty much out of luck. The best you might hope for are some good ideas or a few particularly good lines that you can transplant into something worthwhile.
The thing about writing through a writer's block is that the problem isn't actually solved right away. You're essentially just breaking the damn so that you aren't still stuck the next time you sit down. If you'll excuse some bathroom imagery, it's like a stuck toilet. You can grab your plunger and jam it down in there. That will clear the block but you haven't actually achieved what you set out to do until you flush it all down. It's the same for writer's block. And on that subject, writing through writer's block is about as enjoyable as plunging a clogged toilet too.
At its best working through a block can help you figure out what you actually want to write, in much the same way that doing anything when you're bored can help you realize what you actually wanted to do. At its worst though working through it can feel as though you've wasted an afternoon. Essentially, writer's block sucks. A writer writes though, and the advice to write something, anything, is still the most effective solution I've come across yet. If nothing else you are doing what a writer is supposed to be doing, even if the result looks like you murdered a dictionary.
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