When I asked my friends what would be a good subject for my writer’s blog, the vast majority answered, “Writer’s block!”
(And I stared at them mutely because that’s been the subject, in a way, of ALL my posts.)
Either they hadn’t been reading my blog before offering advice (Gasp! Shock!) or we have different definitions of “writer’s block”. Which I can believe. Writer’s block is like the common cold – it’s not really one disease, but a suite of symptoms with different causes.
Like, for example, feeling blocked because you want the story to be perfect from the start.
Lately, I’ve been blocked because I feel like I have nothing to say. I feel like an ugly, gross, self-involved person. I mean, half the images on this blog are myself. I never draw other people.
Sorry, Grace.
Maureen McHugh gave me the best advice on writer’s block, once. She said:
Writer’s block is NOT the inability to write.
It is the belief that everything you write is shit.
WOAH. Right? Of course you’re not INCAPABLE of writing. You still have a hand and a pen (or computer). You still know the language.
(And now we know why I don’t draw other people. This is after 4 rough drafts!)
Cory Doctorow said:
The days on which I felt I was writing good and the days on which I felt I was writing bad were not distinguishable in hindsight. My writing didn’t change; all that changed was my mood.*
We know what writer’s block is NOT:
- It is not the inability to write
- It is not an actual change in the quality of your writing.
What is it? A mood. Maybe it has physical roots – fatigue, illness – maybe it has emotional roots – depression, anger – but either way, it’s a mood.
Now that we know what it is, maybe we can fight it.
(Tune in next week for that post!)
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* I originally drew Cory with blonde hair! See what I mean about not drawing other people? Memory is strange. I made sure to download an actual photo and color-sample his hair this time. TAKE NO CHANCES. The quote is somewhat second-hand since it’s taken from my notes as I listened to Cory lecture at Clarion in 2013.
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