Engineer’s Block (and Other Myths)

Have you ever heard of Engineer��s Block?
An engineer saying, ��I can��t think of what to code.��

Or Doctor��s Block?
A surgeon saying, ��I��m stuck, I can��t decide what to tell my patient.��

Or Plumber��s Block? Electrician��s Block?

No one��s ever heard of them.

And yet, ��Writer��s Block�� is spoken of as if it��s a real thing �� a creative curse, a mysterious state where ideas dry up until a muse or fairy descends to whisper solutions.

The truth is far less magical.

What I��ve realized is that Writer��s Block is usually just one of two things: laziness or anxiety.

Laziness is when a writer doesn��t show up. Unlike an engineer or a doctor, who can��t simply skip work because they ��aren��t feeling it,�� a writer sometimes drifts into that excuse. If you don��t sit at the desk, the writing won��t get done.

Anxiety is the other culprit. The nagging doubts: ��Is this any good? Will anyone read it? Will it be liked?�� That worry keeps a writer from putting words on the page.

Both lead to the same outcome �� no writing. Which then gets a fancy label: Writer��s Block.

But there��s no mystery here. The only cure is simple and boring: write.
Write badly. Write well. Write nonsense. Write brilliance.
Just write. Like an engineer codes, like a doctor diagnoses, like a plumber fixes leaks.

Show up, do the work. That��s all a writer does.

Writer��s Block isn��t real. It��s just laziness or anxiety, dressed up as something profound. The only way through is the same for all of us, whether we��re writers, engineers, or neighbors in Keshav Kunj: turn up, and keep at it.

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Everyday struggles with laziness, anxiety, and calmness run through my stories too. Sometimes Swami freezes in panic, sometimes Jigneshbhai just smiles and stirs his coffee. Staring into blank space doesn’t do anything. Showing up, doing the work is the cure.
You��ll find these everyday battles �� and everyday wisdom �� in both Jigneshbhai & Swami and Everyday Epics.