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Young Writers Society


Writers Block?



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Points: 1176
Reviews: 56
Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:17 am
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thunder_dude7 says...



I'm going to have to ask you to do something: go to Google right now and type in "writers block". How many results do you get?

If you're like me, you'll get millions. The first of which is Wikipedia, defining it as "a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to begin or continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity."

Most writers seem to accept that definition. Why? Because it externalizes the problem - it places blame on external forces, rather than the writer in question.

Think about it: in any other job, think of what would happen if you called your boss one morning and said something like "Sorry, but I can't come today - I have workers block."

Your boss would reply "Alright. I'll get a [s]temp[/s] replacement for you, and you can come and pick up your stuff later."

Now, don't get me wrong, some people do have problems that prevent them from writing, e.g. depression, but your issue is not a little grammer fairy who is punishing you for forgetting the 'h' in 'the' on your English report. Writing is as much a job as anything else, and we have to learn to do it - despite the many stresses in our life.

So don't go blaming writers block for your issue - that's not what it is. It may be the pile of bills on the table or your in-laws, but it isn't writers block. This isn't superstition - it's real human issues that have human consequences on humans.

There are only two things preventing you from writing: physical impossibility, e.g. no access to a computer or paper, or stress. In the case of the first one, you just have to wait. If it's the second, calm yourself down and have at it. You'll get over it after a paragraph or two.
  








I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.
— Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights