Or, What is Writer’s Block? Samuel Coleridge gave us some great poems, but he also gave us the scourge of writer's block. Here's what I think writer's block really is -- and why we should all stop using that term.
I enjoyed this piece a lot. I’m of the “it’s a myth” school of thought. The advice that someone once gave me and that I repeat to whoever will listen is: barf it out. Revision will take care of the rest.
I love the concept that "writer's block is a myth," as I always feel I am just prioritizing other things in life (as in your previous post on "Lack of time..."). I do agree with creative block like you said. As an artist, when I'm feeling writer's block/creative block, I clear my mind by stepping away (especially from comparison monster on social media) and stop thinking about what other people would like to see. If I create with other people's visions or what I think others want or what would sell, then I get stuck. When I explore my inner feelings, inspiration comes and I paint from there, then share it with the world if I want to. Some might say, with wild abandon ;) Thanks for the great articles, Graham, they always give me something to reflect upon!
Great post, Graham. Important, too. I often think that when writers claim to have writer's block it's simply because they don't yet really know the story they're telling. They don't know what happens next so they stall for a time. I wonder if it might help if we broadened our definition of "writing" beyond actually crafting sentences in the manuscript to also include story planning and plotting, character development, and even research on our settings and time periods. If we consider all aspects of novel development as "writing," perhaps no one would ever have writer's block again. As you know, I'm an inveterate, even extreme, outliner. Before I write the first word in my manuscript, I spend more than a year working on the story I'll eventually tell and on the characters, plot points, setting, etc. In the end, I have a chapter-by-chapter bullet point outline that runs 85-95 pages. The upshot is I never have what many consider to be "writer's block" because I have this detailed outline guiding me when writing my manuscript. But I still consider all the work to develop my outline to be "writing."
Hey all - this post was a little later today. I was between meetings and noticed that today's posts, which I had scheduled for 7:30 this morning, hadn't been sent. Turned out I scheduled it for tomorrow instead of today by accident...
I enjoyed this piece a lot. I’m of the “it’s a myth” school of thought. The advice that someone once gave me and that I repeat to whoever will listen is: barf it out. Revision will take care of the rest.
I love the concept that "writer's block is a myth," as I always feel I am just prioritizing other things in life (as in your previous post on "Lack of time..."). I do agree with creative block like you said. As an artist, when I'm feeling writer's block/creative block, I clear my mind by stepping away (especially from comparison monster on social media) and stop thinking about what other people would like to see. If I create with other people's visions or what I think others want or what would sell, then I get stuck. When I explore my inner feelings, inspiration comes and I paint from there, then share it with the world if I want to. Some might say, with wild abandon ;) Thanks for the great articles, Graham, they always give me something to reflect upon!
Great post, Graham. Important, too. I often think that when writers claim to have writer's block it's simply because they don't yet really know the story they're telling. They don't know what happens next so they stall for a time. I wonder if it might help if we broadened our definition of "writing" beyond actually crafting sentences in the manuscript to also include story planning and plotting, character development, and even research on our settings and time periods. If we consider all aspects of novel development as "writing," perhaps no one would ever have writer's block again. As you know, I'm an inveterate, even extreme, outliner. Before I write the first word in my manuscript, I spend more than a year working on the story I'll eventually tell and on the characters, plot points, setting, etc. In the end, I have a chapter-by-chapter bullet point outline that runs 85-95 pages. The upshot is I never have what many consider to be "writer's block" because I have this detailed outline guiding me when writing my manuscript. But I still consider all the work to develop my outline to be "writing."
Hey all - this post was a little later today. I was between meetings and noticed that today's posts, which I had scheduled for 7:30 this morning, hadn't been sent. Turned out I scheduled it for tomorrow instead of today by accident...
In any case, it's out now! Enjoy!
~Graham
Loved the use of images throughout this edition, and especially loved the cover image! Great post, Graham!