Hello Soapbox...
Welcome to the Soapbox... today's rant is me being pissed off about reading yet another writer announcing that there is no such thing as Writer's Block. I am so sick of hearing this! I mean, really, seriously, are you an expert on the nature of mental ailments? On the mystery of the human mind? How and who are you to know what does and doesn't exist? Just because you haven't experienced it doesn't mean that it doesn't happen.
And yeah, this is me all fired up about it. Do I want to get into an argument with these non-believing writers? Hell no. What I'd like for them to do is to take a step back and think about this... how many years did it take for the medical world to admit that there is a mysterious disease out there called Fibromyalgia? How many poor souls who were and are afflicted with Fibromyalgia had to spend countless hours, days, months, years being told, "Your pain is all in your head. There is nothing wrong with you." To that same point, how many folks in North Carolina need to contract Lymes Disease before the doctors (and health insurance companies) of America will admit that the disease carrying ticks have migrated to NC?
Look, I get it that many writers don't believe that writer's block exists--I totally get it. You've been lucky and it's never happened to you. That's awesome! Wonderful! Effing splendiferous! But give the 'it doesn't exist' mantra a break. Please.
The thing of it is that for any ailment there are stages... some stages are easier to deal with than others. Some... not so much. The same principle applies to writer's block. Everyone is freaking different. What works for you either may or may not work for me because... I'm different from you.
Why am I on the soapbox? Because I've been a writer with writer's block. Not just the easy levels--nope, I was way deep down in depressive funks that had me seriously questioning if I would ever get my mojo back again. Did I contract writer's block because I was lazy? Hell no. There was a shitload more to it than that. Did I procrastinate? No. I'm not a procrastinator. I'm a thinker, mover, and a shaker. Was I blocked creatively? Yes, I was. Am I now? No. What did it take to get out of it? Therapy. Lots and lots of therapy. Both professional, self (by copious amounts of journal scribbling), and a solid support network of writers who did what a support network does... provide emotional support (hang in there, you can do this or I believe in you, you'll get past this or, even, breathe and take it one step at a time) with a hefty dose of optimism to your fellow writer.
So the next time you're thinking of slamming a fellow writer, because you're of the mindset that writer's block doesn't exist... do me a favor and take a step back and think. Because seriously... delivering a sound bite of negativity based on an unqualified judgement may just one day come back to bite you in the ass.
And *poof* goes the soapbox.
Until next time... take care and happy reading, writing, and musing!
~EK
And yeah, this is me all fired up about it. Do I want to get into an argument with these non-believing writers? Hell no. What I'd like for them to do is to take a step back and think about this... how many years did it take for the medical world to admit that there is a mysterious disease out there called Fibromyalgia? How many poor souls who were and are afflicted with Fibromyalgia had to spend countless hours, days, months, years being told, "Your pain is all in your head. There is nothing wrong with you." To that same point, how many folks in North Carolina need to contract Lymes Disease before the doctors (and health insurance companies) of America will admit that the disease carrying ticks have migrated to NC?
Look, I get it that many writers don't believe that writer's block exists--I totally get it. You've been lucky and it's never happened to you. That's awesome! Wonderful! Effing splendiferous! But give the 'it doesn't exist' mantra a break. Please.
The thing of it is that for any ailment there are stages... some stages are easier to deal with than others. Some... not so much. The same principle applies to writer's block. Everyone is freaking different. What works for you either may or may not work for me because... I'm different from you.
Why am I on the soapbox? Because I've been a writer with writer's block. Not just the easy levels--nope, I was way deep down in depressive funks that had me seriously questioning if I would ever get my mojo back again. Did I contract writer's block because I was lazy? Hell no. There was a shitload more to it than that. Did I procrastinate? No. I'm not a procrastinator. I'm a thinker, mover, and a shaker. Was I blocked creatively? Yes, I was. Am I now? No. What did it take to get out of it? Therapy. Lots and lots of therapy. Both professional, self (by copious amounts of journal scribbling), and a solid support network of writers who did what a support network does... provide emotional support (hang in there, you can do this or I believe in you, you'll get past this or, even, breathe and take it one step at a time) with a hefty dose of optimism to your fellow writer.
So the next time you're thinking of slamming a fellow writer, because you're of the mindset that writer's block doesn't exist... do me a favor and take a step back and think. Because seriously... delivering a sound bite of negativity based on an unqualified judgement may just one day come back to bite you in the ass.
And *poof* goes the soapbox.
Until next time... take care and happy reading, writing, and musing!
~EK
Comments
Liz
I'm so glad you've found a walk away, then come back method that works for you. That's awesome!
~EK
My writer friends were supportive and I'm now emerging from the depression part of it. Not able to work on my current project yet, but ideas are finally happening again. My "writer's mind" is waking up. If anyone had tried to tell me that my block was imaginary, I would have laughed in their face. Writers live in their minds, for Pete's sake--in imaginal worlds--how pompous and arrogant and terminally insensitive does a person have to be to label a writer as "imagining" a painful disorder that's preventing them from writing?!
I'm writing again now, FINALLY, after finding a group of awesome and supportive writers and taking some workshops but...and I'm sorry, not to be a b**ch...they can seriously kiss my ass.