BOOKISH: Writer’s Block

Not long ago I attended a talk by a well-known author, speaking to a crowd of student writers. It lasted about 45 minutes. The whole time the author wore a sort of inane smile. I hate that.

Everything is wonderful, he said. Writing is wonderful. The industry is wonderful. You’d think we all died and went to writing heaven. After the speech it was time for questions. One of the first was about writer’s block. That dreadful, common affliction. Guess things weren’t so wonderful after all.

But our speaker wasn’t put off. Not at all. The smile never left. He gave us the following, specific suggestion. When blocked, write anyway. Have a daily goal, say a few hundred words, and stay in front of that keyboard until finished. No matter what. Next question.

The whole evening I disagreed with everything the guy said. Think things were gonna change? I don’t think so. Here we had a big shot writer encouraging us to commit a cardinal writing sin, and not just any cardinal sin. The sin of all sins:

Writing when you have nothing to say.

If you have nothing to say, shut up. We accomplish nothing when we grind out soul-killing words. Worse, some of us end up publishing those words. That’s what this author did. I’m sure of it. After a successful first novel, he published a second, not so successful novel. It took him eight years.

Which is a pretty good tip off. There’s a lot of pressure on these authors to produce. So you know what happened. He had nothing to say, but wrote a book anyway. Folks, we don’t need this. We don’t need more books. We need more good books.

But I’m not going to just crab, so let’s get productive. The cause of writer’s block is simple:

Lack of engagement.

No one is listening. Not even you. To defeat writer’s block put aside the offending manuscript. Burn it, shelve it, but get it out of your sight. Then find a place where someone is listening. A place where you can engage, and be heard.

For this, social media is a splendid venue. We all have areas of interest, whether politics, art, even gardening. Ever seen two gardeners go at it? Or birders? They sure ain’t blocked.

Find a site that interests you and post. Or better yet, respond to a post. And don’t just agree with someone. That won’t get you anywhere. After all, good writing is grounded in conflict. Take exception. Get engaged.

There’s a world of daffy opinion online. And cruel and indifferent types hiding behind simpleton arguments. Don’t let them do it. Get riled up. Use your style, your cadence, your viewpoint. Make it original. For Pete’s sake, originality is the writer’s stock in trade.

Engage. Argue. Inveigle (I love that word).

Now, some of us don’t like to fight. We’re rather shy. Rather quiet. Even though we’re boiling inside. These people kinda scare me, but we’re all different, so if you are the retiring type, here’s another method for busting through. Of creating engagement and defeating writer’s block.

Redo an old piece, then submit. Make it new, as Ezra Pound said. New is right. If there ever was an unreadable poet, it’s Ezra Pound.

Rework something that should have been published long ago. Get mad. Write with plenty of gusto, plenty of turbulence. If it’s fiction, take Maggie, Jigs, and Audrey out of your opening sentence. Stop this, writers. We don’t know who they are. Anyway, write like your pants are on fire, then submit. To a magazine, a lit journal, or post on some writing site. Or bring it to your group. Tell everyone enough! Enough unicorns and rainbows! Let me have it!

Engagement. Energy. That’s the answer.

When you engage the words flow. Writer’s block becomes a myth, the malady of the amateur. What you write might step on a few toes, but so what? You’re a writer. There’s no stopping it.