I have blog block. Yes, I know, I only just started this a week or so ago. I am completely written out having been tappety tapping my life away on the laptop all week to publicize 'Simon's Choice' (did I mention I've written a little novel?).
Having always scoffed at the concept of writers block, this recent creative constipation has given me cause to think about my dear old mum.
Ma (who would kill me for calling her that but as she is only just working out how to hit 'send' on an email, I think I'm safe) was an author in the nineties. Still is, but hasn't written anything for a while.
When she fell on hard times, people often used to say to me, or directly to her - "Well, dear. Can't she/you just write another book?"
I'm quite amazed she restrained from punching them actually. It's as if once you've had one or two books out, people imagine you are a limitless pot of plots. A bottomless pit of wit. A - okay. I've run out of rhymes.
I always wanted to respond "Kerrrrist! What a brilliant idea! If only she had thought of that! Write another 360 page novel! Thank god we had this conversation. Our money woes are over."
Perhaps I should only 'blog' when I'm in a good mood....
I'm always very skeptical of writers who say, "I write fifty pages per night. I finished this book in two weeks." I'm pretty sure what I'm going to read will be impersonal and superficial (basically dreadful). Writing is often difficult, and if you've hit on something real, it's painful and you loathe sitting down at the keyboard to face demons that were would probably be better off left alone and repressed.
ReplyDeleteWriter's block, for me, usually isn't a lack of ideas, but a lack of what I perceive to be good ideas. I stop myself from writing because I "know" it will be crap before I even start. The only way out of writer's block is to write it anyway. Read it later and it's not nearly as bad as you thought it might be. A lot of it might be good.
I'm not sure I have a problem with speed writing - some authors really do storm through once they get going. It's the suggestion that 'fully formed books just plop into one's head' (DAMN JK ROWLING) that annoys me. If it was so easy to suddenly invisage a full novel, then everyone would do it.
ReplyDeleteThat said, judging by the website Authonomy, everyone IS writing books.
Again - perhaps I should only come to my blog when I'm in a good mood. I'm going back under my rock until I have only inspirational and motivating words to impart.
I meant envisage!
ReplyDeleteMemes are good for "blog block" :) There's quite a few around in the book blog world too.
ReplyDelete