Writer’s Block Workshop

Moving through writer’s block to discover your best writing process.

What happens when you sit down to write? Do you freeze up? Do you freak out? Do you write a bunch and then throw it all away? Do you get close to finishing and then suddenly lose steam? Do you just stare at the blank page, not knowing where to start? 

If any of this sounds like you, you might be suffering from writer’s block.

The 6-week Writer’s Block Workshop is here to help. Each session uses creative writing techniques, philosophy, and psychology to help blocked writers move past their barriers. Together, we will uncover the true causes of your writer’s block and calibrate your writing mindset. 

The goal? To establish the one thing that all writers need: a process that works for you, not against you.

The Writer’s Block Workshop is designed, organized, and taught by 4-time CSA nominee Jacob Duarte Spiel. Jacob was a founding member of The Beaverton and has spent the last decade as a professional writer in TV, advertising, audio drama, radio, video games, and more. He has also spent his entire life working through his own writer’s block.

NEW WORKSHOP DATES ANNOUNCED, STARTING JANUARY 21st! Click below for more details:

The Workshop

The Writer’s Block Workshop comprises of one 2-hour session a week, for 6 weeks.

Each session has a lecture portion (with student participation) and activities specially designed to target different forms of writer’s block.

  • Only by understanding why we do write can we understand why we don’t write. This session establishes the philosophical and psychological foundation that the rest of the workshop is built on. We will also begin to explore our “body blocks” (which are distinct from “craft blocks”)

  • This session pulls open the first part of the writing process. We specifically focus on breaking apart character, theme, plot, tension, and outline in order to properly understand their roles in fiction writing. We also discuss the philosophy of “originality”.

  • There is no perfect way to prepare for writing a first draft… but we can find a method that works for you. This session teaches students how to construct an outline that contains everything they need in order to write a satisfying first draft, without running out of steam.

  • We analyze our processes and ourselves to better understand how to write a first draft. This is followed by psychological tools and mindsets to help make the process more engaging while also avoiding blocks.

  • We try to separate out all the component pieces of editing while honing our personal instincts for what makes a piece of writing “better” and “worse”.

  • Our final session looks at polishing and completing a final draft. We focus on the role of strong verbs, specific nouns, harmony, dissonance, and other detail-oriented aspects of writing. The session ends with some guidance on how to keep writer’s block from returning, along with recommendations for what to write next.