To announce to the world that writer’s block isn’t a real problem, and that it’s all just in your head, is like announcing general anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder aren’t real problems.

These all share a common bond …

They all come about due to extreme mental conditions thrown about one way or another — in other words, they really do exist, even though it’s all in our head.

Why is writer’s block any different?

Writer’s Block is Real!

Look, chances are you’ve read a few articles and posts claiming “Writers Block is a Myth!” or “Writer’s Block Doesn’t Exist,” but how do you feel personally?

Consider the following when reading a post about the fallacy of writer’s block.

Evidence of Writer’s Block at the Bookstore

Check out your local book shop for a plethora of books on how to overcome or avoid writer’s block. Aside from getting published or sustaining as a professional writer one day, writer’s block is probably the one concern on ever writer’s brain.

(Quick tip: If you’ve read the entire reference section at Barnes and Noble, it’s safe to say you’re reading too much and not writing enough. Funnel that passion for the craft into your own work.)

Evidence of Writer’s Block in Fiction

You’ll also find writer’s block making an appearance throughout the pages of fiction. A couple examples include George Orwell’s Keep the Aspidistra Flying, in which Gordon Comstock struggles to complete a poem, and Stephen King’s novella, Secret Window, Secret Garden.

Social Proof of Writer’s Block

The web has become a great place in the last few years — it’s become the community voice in a way, so it’s a good place to look if you’re having your doubts. Search the term “writer’s block” in Twitter and you’ll see that thousands of writers struggle with it every day.

Look to your friends and family — how often are they frustrated with writer’s block?

“I Have Writer’s Block”

While I think the web is a fantastic place for information and help, it’s crucial that you still form your own opinion. So while you might read how writer’s block doesn’t exist or that it’s all just a way for writer’s to slack off, look to yourself and your own experience before agreeing with them.

I was at a Q&A with Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, the screenwriters of “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” on opening night when someone in the crowd asked, “How do you deal with writer’s block?” I thought, great, I’m about to discover how a couple of the real pros in the industry avoid writer’s block. One of the writers answered, “Writer’s block is for amateurs.”

I was a bit disappointed — I couldn’t tell if it was because of the answer or because of my own case of the old block. It wasn’t long though before I realized there was a big difference in writing on speculation of sale or publication and writing on assignment (writing something you’ve been contracted to write). The writers were right — writer’s block is for amateurs, because it’s often the amateur that writes on spec.

If anything, I’d say enjoy writer’s block — as a novel writer, it’s the only time it won’t lead to detrimental consequences … such as being fired.

Embrace your own experience and form your point of view based on what you know.

The Seriousness of Writer’s Block

Just as with any case of severe mental conditions, whether it’s a phobia or even depression, writer’s block can affect a lot more than merely the writer’s work — or lack thereof. Writer’s block can evolve into depression, frustration, even force the writer to move on from the craft all together.

To dismiss writer’s block as an excuse to be lazy simply isn’t fair — each writer works differently, therefore every case must be different.

Sure, some writers might be quick to jump on the writer’s block train, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

What Do You Think About Writer’s Block?

Again, it’s important that you form your own opinion, so despite what you read — even here — you need to know whether or not you think writer’s block exists.

How do you feel about all the content out there claiming writer’s block doesn’t exist?

How Do You Overcome Writer’s Block?

We need to address it together if we want to overcome it — as a community. One way to start doing that is to share how you overcome writer’s block.

Post your own advice for other writers looking for answers or help below.

What if it’s not all that complicated?

I wanted to take a detour around the confusing charts and breakdowns and approach the matter as a person with five basic things in common with you — because I think these five things might be they keys a lot of writers will find useful.

These, of course, are the five basic senses — and just as they will help store and recall memory, they can also be used to inspire your own creativity.

So, the question stands — how can a writer’s senses inspire creativity?

Sight

As one of the primary and most powerful forms of observation, sight is the most common sense utilized by writers around the world.

Though some writers are talented beyond the rest and actually write without the use of sight, the majority of us will depend on it to inform us of the world in which live, the people we meet, and often trigger the feelings we feel.

One exercise I think a lot of writers, including myself, will benefit from is approaching sight from the position of someone who writes without it — in other words, try not to take it for granted. Look around your world, watch people, and soak up the visual of life — what do they tell you?

Try looking at old photographs of people — it’s strange how much they look exactly like the people we know today … only dressed in funky clothing.

Watch a film. Study a painting. Look up … what do you see?

It’s important to keep your eyes open as you live — you’ll see things most people in the world don’t know exist, regardless if you’re in a huge city or rural hamlet. Write it down to study later.

The trick here is to think about everything you see.

Sound

Again, hearing the world certainly isn’t essential to a writer, but it’s another powerful sense to have at your disposal — so much in fact, it often becomes the primary sense for the blind.

Most of us will often find inspiration by listening to music of some genre or another — it could be a cinematic score, something from a nostalgic era, or a personal favorite. Music affects artists because musicians pour their own inspiration and creativity into their work and strive to share a feeling with the listener — if they’ve done a good job, the listener will feel something emotional.

And while most writers will utilize music for inspiration, it’s definitely not the only source of inspiration.

Hearing another language can also inspire a writer tremendously. The sounds of a city or a village will spark the creativity for some. Certain sounds might spark something as well, such as a gunshot, an animals cry, or a spaceship.

Just as you keep your eyes open, it’s important to keep your ears open. Think about what you’re hearing and wonder what the source of the sound wanted you to feel when they made it.

Taste

For me personally, I find food from other cultures extremely inspirational. Food will often reveal a lot about the culture, the restaurant, or the person cooking it.

I recently traveled to Mexico for the weekend and experienced authentic Mexican food for the first time — it was amazing! Adding spices instead of salt, enjoying real sugar cane instead of fructose corn syrup, and using fresh ingredients … it was just a taste of what the culture preferred, which to me revealed a priority for fresh foods.

Though I had acquired a pretty good feel for what Mexican food was all about here in Los Angeles, it was inspiring to be able to enjoy it while visiting its place of birth.

In essence, taste can spark your creativity like no other sense — it can spring you from culture to culture and even inspire a feeling … for example, when I go for sushi and miso, I’m often struck with inspiration due to the feeling of being in the world of Blade Runner — this might seem strange to you, but that’s because everyone has their own memories and feelings tied with certain tastes.

Touch

Whether you’re shaking someone’s hand or petting a tiger shark, touch can be an incredible source of inspiration.

A lot of people attribute this sense to the majority of their experiences in life, because for most, physical feeling sticks around longer. Swimming in the waves at the beach, dancing until you’re completely exhausted, or enjoying a massage are all examples of feelings through touch.

Feeling something you’ve never felt before might be a very inspiring moment in your life — for example, if you were to experience a powerful earthquake for the first time, chances are you’d come out of the experience with a little more respect for mother nature.

Try to experience life to the fullest — go skydiving, ride a roller coaster, fly somewhere, or try rock-climbing. Any and all physical experiences might spark that inspiration needed to get creative.

Think about how you feel when you’re experiencing it — what does it tell you about life?

Smell

Like taste, this sense isn’t really a primary source of observation, but can be utilized by writers to enhance an experience.

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve found that certain smells, such as pyrotechnics smoke and air conditioning in the theatre strike my creativity — probably because I associate it with plays I’ve experienced.

The key here is to keep an open mind toward your senses and think about what you’re smelling. Smelling the salt in the air at the beach might spark a world of story, you never know.

What Senses inspire your creativity most?

Just as there is a vast range of how to go about writing a story, there is an equally vast range of ways to yield your inspiration and turn it into creativity.

What sense do you find inspires your creativity most?