Does Writer’s Block Exist?
A coupla tweets for your delectation:
Lookee here! Another guy–and they almost always seem to be guys!–claims #writersblock doesn’t exist. They seem to come out of the woodwork every once in a while. https://t.co/Eb5deQQdG1
— Hillary Rettig (@hillaryrettig) May 7, 2018
“Writer’s block is a delicious myth” How callous and condescending, not to mention, #clueless, can you get? #writersblock #writers
— Hillary Rettig (@hillaryrettig) May 7, 2018
Here’s the full quote from the original article:
Writer’s block is a fiction. That’s not to say I always feel like writing, or that I have some big idea percolating. I don’t know if you can force out good sentences or great ideas, but that doesn’t mean you cannot write. You can always write garbage; goodness knows, I write plenty of that. Sure, there are days I don’t feel like looking at my computer or picking up a pencil. Such days, I read; reading is inextricably linked with writing, so you can grade yourself on a curve and say that counts. And there are days I can’t even read—I have a day job, I have a family, I have a life, like anyone. But you never stop thinking, and thinking is a part of writing too. I’ll probably develop a case now that I’m saying this on the record but writer’s block is a delicious myth and nothing more.
Talking it over with my buds on Facebook – some of whom were surprised to find themselves experiencing a “myth” – we came to the conclusion that it’s easy enough to define anything out of existence, especially if you’re trying too hard to be clever and/or macho.
It’s not that complicated: procrastination is when you do something other than what you had planned or need to do, and a “block” is a sustained and intense bout of procrastination. And the goal of productivity work is to, at least most of the time, do what you had planned to do when you had planned to do it. It’s important not to lose sight of that because denial catalyzes procrastination, and clarity–of motive, priorities, process, needs, and goals–is a primary solution. So, set aside time for reading, research, and recharging, but try not to let those activities impinge on your time set aside for actual writing. (That becomes way easier when you use a fun, nonperfectionist writing technique.)
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