Writing about my Substack writer's block... by writing on Substack.

Lemme at least attempt to make it make sense.

I’ll start with a bit of context. I launched my Substack in March ‘24 to give myself an outlet & boost for my writing - mainly for when I wanted to get my thoughts out there for when a. there wasn’t another avenue for it and b. when I didn’t want to be filtered in doing so.

When I gleefully created by vision board that April (see previous Substack on which I praise the effectiveness of vision boards), I popped on their that I’d post 2 Substack articles a month. Well, dear reader, I failed. Miserably. I’ve published just 6 measly Substacks since then. I can’t even do the math but I know that it works out at less than half a Substack a month. Pitiful.

Now there are several things to bear in mind…

Firstly, despite this flop, I still believe in vision boards being a useful & productive tool when it comes to achieving shit. And you should too.

And secondly, it’s not because I haven’t written anything. I have. I’ve written three articles for both We Create Space & Low No Drinker Magazine. Twice for Conference News. And once for Queer AF. I’ll add the each of these here at some point. I’ve written on a range of topics from navigating festivities, summer socialising & relationships whilst sober to my fitness journey, gender equality & male allyship and DEI & the events industry.

All of which I’ve done enthusiastically, willingly AND on time. Even before deadlines - SHOCK HORROR. That’s mainly cos’ I work to self-imposed time blocking & deadlines as otherwise, it simply ain’t getting done.

Yet despite this, I find myself experiencing a severe case of Substack Writers’ Block. See visual representation below…

What’s writer’s block all about?

There’s all kinds of reasons for writers block apparently. Google AI suggests common causes include perfectionism, fear of criticism, lack of inspiration, and feeling overwhelmed. Stress, anxiety, and even physical exhaustion can also contribute. One Reddit user seems to think it’s fear or confusion.

I stumbled upon a BRILLIANT article on Substack by Suw Charman-Anderson entitled ‘The four causes of writer’s block and what to do about them’ which provides a scientific deep dive into it and breaking down the causes into:

• Physiological

• Motivational

• Cognitive

• Behavioural

It also gives a variety of great solutions which I’m fully on board with.

According to Urban Dictionary, writer’s block is defined as ‘A period of time where a writer has no inspiration, thought-process, or even the faintest of ideas as to how to start or continue their current work.’

Whyyyyy?!

Yup. Yup. Yup. To all the above & that goes some way to explaining it. But why am I struggling just for my own Substack?! I ask thin air.

I simply CAN NOT bring myself to fulfil my own personal writing goals or ventures. For other people, fine. But for myself, nah mate! Which is really frustrating because I love writing & I’ve got shit tons of things I want to say (there’s a reason this Substack is called Neil’Talk - get it?).

I keep a log of all the ideas I have. I add to & revisit it often. I make time for it, sit down to tackle a topic and then… POOF. GONE. Zero motivation, will or motherfucking clue on where to start.

Possible explanations

Here’s a list of things I’m running through repeatedly in my head for why this might be the case, some outlined above but some unique to my headspace right now… in alphabetical order as feeling anal.

ADHD mindset | There’s no sense of urgency attached to my own Substack so whatever.

Brain space | I already do a lot so don’t have the capacity or creativity in reserve to pull something out the bag.

Indecisive | About what to start with first. Also ties into the above.

People pleasing | I like supporting other people and if I can do that by providing content & writing for them then great.

Visibility & profile raising | My Substack isn’t exactly viral & so my writing is more likely to be seen if it’s featured on more established platforms. Slightly less altruistic than the above.

There’s probably more & they all merge.

So what am I going to do about?

As the visual reminder of my vision board hasn’t done the trick (please believe me when I say it has on other stuff), I’m going to have to come with a new action plan which I’m sharing RIGHT here. AND this is all about holding myself accountable… YOU are invited to chime here to keep me on track.

Here goes…

1. I kicked things off a couple of weeks ago by posting a lil’ reel on Instagram (see above ft. v floppy hair) with a call out / please for things to write about. Quite a few of people kindly responded with a great array of suggestions - from serious to silly - so I’m going to work through those. BIG love to all who shared their ideas <3

2. This article was one of those suggestions (thanks Adelle) that I’d already thought about so ya know, great minds! And even getting back into the swing of it is feeling good.

3. I had a similar block with posting on social media recently until I had a coaching session with a fantastic friend, colleague & coach, Dr. Paul Taylor-Pitt. I regularly experience total paralysis with dealing with the number of pics on my phone. But our session gave me a kick up the arse to crack on and I’ve now built up to well over a 100k views a month & rising from just 30k. Not huge but it’s all about consistency, right? So I’ma work to that model.

4. I plan to repost & reformat some of the articles mentioned above for Substack. Sure I already wrote them but some can’t be seen for free & it’ll get me using Substack & collating my work.

5. I invite YOU to share your suggestions below too. I’m up for the challenge. Drop your suggestions in the comments, nudge away & I’ll see what I can do…. I can’t promise life-changing work/ words but I’ll deliver summink & that’s what counts right now. I might even give body doubling & writing a go…

Thanks for reading!

I make no apologies for the inaneness of this Substack. If it ain’t of interest, move along. I’m doing this for me. For my output & whoever fancies coming along for the ride. For whatever it might lead to. Or just for the sake of it.

Life feels a bit overwhelming at the moment, access to creativity & brain power is a struggle at times and as someone who isn’t great at asking for help, this is my wee attempt to do just that. I’m always happy to repay the favour too. Cheers for reading y’all, whoever gets this far :P