--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writer’s block is my unconscious mind…" description: "\"Writer’s block is my unconscious mind telling me that something I’ve just written is either unbelievable or unimportant to me, and I solve it by going ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/orson-scott-card-134_block_writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-te_1220434.jpg" --- # Writer’s block is my unconscious mind telling me that… ![“Writer’s block is my unconscious mind telling me that something I’ve just written is either unbelievable or unimportant to me, and I solve it by going back and reinventing some part of what I’ve already written so that when I write it again, it is believable and interesting to me. Then I can go…” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/orson-scott-card-134_block_writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-te_1220434.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/orson-scott-card-134_block_writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-te_1220434.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/orson-scott-card-134_block_writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-te_1220434.jpg) > “Writer’s block is my unconscious mind telling me that something I’ve just written is either unbelievable or unimportant to me, and I solve it by going back and reinventing some part of what I’ve already written so that when I write it again, it is believable and interesting to me. Then I can go on. Writer’s block is never solved by forcing oneself to “write through it,” because you haven’t solved the problem that caused your unconscious mind to rebel against the story, so it still won’t work – for you or for the reader.” [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a story feels unbelievable or irrelevant, the subconscious signals a need to revise, making the narrative authentic and engaging before proceeding. **In simple terms:** Unconscious signals need revision for believable writing. Key Takeaway Revise to align story with personal truth. Themes creativity self‑awareness writing process Mood frustrated hopeful reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenwriting - blog posts - academic papers - personal journals Key Concepts psychology narrative authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What part of your story feels false? - How can you make it personally meaningful? A Different Perspective Forcing writing without addressing underlying doubts often deepens the block. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscious mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-mind/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rebel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebel/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Unconscious mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconscious-mind/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer 's block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-s-block/) [Writers block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-block/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I think writer's block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible. But as a writer, I believe that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/i-think-writer-s-block-is-simply-the-dread-that-you-are-going-to/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [“I haven’t had writer’s block. I think it’s because my process involves writing very badly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-haven-t-had-writer-s-block-i-think-it-s-because-my-process-involves/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [That famous writer’s block is a myth as far as I’m concerned. I think bad writers must have a great difficulty writing. They don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/that-famous-writer-s-block-is-a-myth-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-i-think/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [writing about a writer's block is better than not writing at all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/writing-about-a-writer-s-block-is-better-than-not-writing-at-all/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I have always thought of poems as stepping stones in one's own sense of oneself. Every now and again, you write a poem that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/i-have-always-thought-of-poems-as-stepping-stones-in-one-s-own-sense-2/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [When I'm writing, I write. And then it's as if the muse is convinced that I'm serious and says, 'Okay. Okay. I'll come.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/when-i-m-writing-i-write-and-then-it-s-as-if-the-muse-is-convinced/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Just write every day of your life. Read intensely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/just-write-every-day-of-your-life-read-intensely/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Never stop writing because you have run out of ideas. Fill the lacunae of inspiration by tidily copying out what is already written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/never-stop-writing-because-you-have-run-out-of-ideas-fill-the-lacunae/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [Never stop writing because you have run out of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/never-stop-writing-because-you-have-run-out-of-ideas/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [Writing is 90% procrastination. It is a matter of doing everything you can to avoid writing, until it is about four in the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudnick/writing-is-90-procrastination-it-is-a-matter-of-doing-everything-you/) [Paul Rudnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudnick/) > [The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-best-way-is-always-to-stop-when-you-are-going-good-and-when-you/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“I don't get writers block. I get writer has too many ideas and doesn't know which one to start next, block.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hojberg/i-don-t-get-writers-block-i-get-writer-has-too-many-ideas-and-doesn-t/) [Tyler Hojberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hojberg/) > [“I don't sit around waiting for passion to strike me. I keep working steadily, because I believe it is our privilege as humans to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-don-t-sit-around-waiting-for-passion-to-strike-me-i-keep-working/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Writing is 90 percent procrastination: reading magazines, eating cereal out of the box, watching infomercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudnick/writing-is-90-percent-procrastination-reading-magazines-eating-cereal/) [Paul Rudnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudnick/) > [I might have missed my calling as an editor. In the spring, the sight of my empty garden beds gives me the horticultural equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-might-have-missed-my-calling-as-an-editor-in-the-spring-the-sight/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## More by Orson Scott Card > [“You underestimate yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-underestimate-yourself/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Why did he hesitate? He finally admitted to himself that he was like an American child who was almost completely certain about Santa Claus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/why-did-he-hesitate-he-finally-admitted-to-himself-that-he-was-like/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“I don't know of a soul who doesn't maintain two separate lists of doctrines - the ones they believe they believe; and the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-don-t-know-of-a-soul-who-doesn-t-maintain-two-separate-lists-of/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Good people do not let others suffer needlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/good-people-do-not-let-others-suffer-needlessly/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“The devil?” Jason heaved the tick over his shoulder like a collier with his sack. “Satan. The adversary. The enemy of the plan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/the-devil-jason-heaved-the-tick-over-his-shoulder-like-a-collier-with/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“What we've done is make the categories of science fiction and fantasy larger, freer, and more inclusive than any other genre of contemporary literature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/what-we-ve-done-is-make-the-categories-of-science-fiction-and-fantasy/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Where ideas are real and reality is shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-ideas-are-real-and-reality-is-shadow/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Ender, for the past few months you have been the battle commander of our fleets. This was the Third Invasion. There were no games,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/ender-for-the-past-few-months-you-have-been-the-battle-commander-of/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Science fiction is about what could be but isn't; fantasy is about what couldn't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/science-fiction-is-about-what-could-be-but-isn-t-fantasy-is-about/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Knowledge is just opinion that you trust enough to act upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knowledge-is-just-opinion-that-you-trust-enough-to-act-upon/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Of course they accused Marcão of having done it without provocation—that’s the way of torturers of every age, to put the blame on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/of-course-they-accused-marc-o-of-having-done-it-without-provocation/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/civilization-is-only-a-pretense-in-the-crisis-we-become-mere-apes/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Where did this whole thing begin? If what we think of as reality is just a pattern that somebody brought Outside, and the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-did-this-whole-thing-begin-if-what-we-think-of-as-reality-is/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) [Explore all 1,158 Orson Scott Card quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## More Block quotes > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [If you do a black character or a female character or an Asian character, then they aren't just that character. They represent that race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-mcduffie/if-you-do-a-black-character-or-a-female-character-or-an-asian/) [Dwayne McDuffie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-mcduffie/) > [Stevie Wonder always smells so good... I'm like a DEA dog, I can smell people a block away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/stevie-wonder-always-smells-so-good-i-m-like-a-dea-dog-i-can-smell/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [When it comes to people I love and care about, I may condense the time, but I'm giving them every ounce of my energy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-shetty/when-it-comes-to-people-i-love-and-care-about-i-may-condense-the-time/) [Jay Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-shetty/) > [I mean family is more important than anything in life. Family is important than my crew, D-Block, my rap career anything... It's the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/styles-p/i-mean-family-is-more-important-than-anything-in-life-family-is/) [Styles P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/styles-p/) > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [The family is the building block for whatever solidarity there is in society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ruckelshaus/the-family-is-the-building-block-for-whatever-solidarity-there-is-in/) [William Ruckelshaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ruckelshaus/) > [New York is so serious about the creation of work. Everything is happening so fast, it feels like there's another studio, another session on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/new-york-is-so-serious-about-the-creation-of-work-everything-is/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I think you can train yourself to block out some of that pressure and replace it with confidence. It's about preparation, and the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rodgers/i-think-you-can-train-yourself-to-block-out-some-of-that-pressure-and/) [Aaron Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rodgers/) > [Writer's block? I've never heard of a plumber complain about plumber's block.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/writer-s-block-i-ve-never-heard-of-a-plumber-complain-about-plumber-s/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) Browse all 1,755 Block quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writer’s block is my unconscious mind telling me that something I’ve just written is either unbelievable or unimportant to me, and I solve it by going back and reinventing some part of what I’ve already written so that when I write it again, it is believable and interesting to me. Then I can go on. Writer’s block is never solved by forcing oneself to “write through it,” because you haven’t solved the problem that caused your unconscious mind to rebel against the story, so it still won’t work – for you or for the reader.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Orson Scott Card" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-telling-me-that-something-i-ve/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Block" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-telling-me-that-something-i-ve/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/orson-scott-card-134_block_writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-te_1220434.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/orson-scott-card-134_block_writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-te_1220434.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/orson-scott-card-134_block_writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-te_1220434.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writer’s block is my unconscious mind telling me that something I’ve just written is either unbelievable or…” — Orson Scott Card", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Orson Scott Card", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Writer’s block is my unconscious mind...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-telling-me-that-something-i-ve/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/writer-s-block-is-my-unconscious-mind-telling-me-that-something-i-ve/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```