Why I Have Not Written Anything in 2 Months
My longest-ever break from writing
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I wasn’t sure whether I should try to explain my longest-ever break from writing.
After a bit of mental debating, I decided that the people who have been reading my 500+ articles across various platforms for years deserve an answer. So, here it is.
Since March 30 — almost two months ago, I haven’t posted on Medium or any of my blogs. Likewise, I haven’t done any freelance work. Heck, I haven’t even appropriately journaled in that time.
I started writing regularly in 2017 and professionally in 2019. Since then, I have never taken more than two weeks off, and even that happened only twice in four years.
This time was different.
As such, I decided to go deeper and analyze the reasons behind my break. Was it a lack of motivation? Writer’s block? Or, a combination of everything?
Here’s what happened.
Writer’s block
In March and February, I posted many articles on Medium and my websites. I also edited lots of videos from a “Crossing Europe Without Flying” challenge that I did in February.
In short, March was one of the busiest months in recent history, and I decided to take things more slowly in April.
I also decided to travel again after a month-long break following my 5,500 km-crossing of the entirety of mainland Europe.
I thought writer’s block wouldn’t be an issue, and I could just write a little less.
I was wrong.
I am a flow person. When I am in a productive state, I can write three articles in a day. Once I lack that state, however, my flow disappears, and I tend to avoid writing altogether.
I didn’t prioritize writing, and my writing productivity kept diminishing. Say hello to my first genuine “writer’s block.”
It took me a long time to realize this. If you’ve written hundreds of articles, you think you are invincible, and that writer’s block will never affect you. Boy, did it affect me.