Sometimes writers find themselves in a state
where their brain seems to shut down and their
fingers won’t cooperate on the keyboard,
no matter what trick is used.
Is it the dreaded Writer’s Block?
Many would argue truth against myth.
But is there such a thing as writer’s
block? Or is it simply that the author has somehow
gotten to a point where s/he needs to sit down
with a friend—preferably another writer—and
talk about the story and its characters?
I’ve heard writer’s block can be
debilitating. I’ve heard it can shut authors
down for days, weeks, months. Even years. Spans
of time where they can’t pick up a pen or
pencil, or type one word on the keyboard.
I can’t allow myself to believe in writer’s
block.
I can’t allow myself to get into a ‘brain
freeze’ so that nothing in my story moves
forward and I helplessly watch the hours slip
by while my characters sit and wait for me to
put breath back in their lungs, and movement into
their feet.
I can’t wait for writer’s block.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I haven’t
had days where I wonder how on earth and where
on earth I’ll find the next scene, the next
paragraph, the next word. I’ve had plenty
days when the characters float just out of my
reach, when the story seems to stand still as
stone. But I won’t let myself believe it’s
writer’s block. No, to me those are times
when I need to think. About the characters, the
conflict, plot, emotions, clues, events. A host
of factors involved in the process of creating
a story world.
Blocking something means preventing something,
most likely a flow of liquid coming through some
sort of channel. Blocking can’t happen,
in my opinion, in your brain. How can you turn
off thought? Never. Even when you sleep your brain
dreams scenes. Why can’t it do the same
during daylight hours?
So think while you wait in those lulls.
Think about your story and your characters. Let
your mind flow. Doesn’t matter that some
of the stuff makes no sense. Doesn’t matter
that some of the ideas or notions seem odd and
absurd. Let the mind reach. Then write.
Write whatever comes into your head, albeit weird
and wonderful and totally unlike your characters.
Write, write and write some more. Before you know
it, the characters will gather their story and
what you were searching for at the beginning of
the lull will present itself. It may be junk but,
hey, as long as you’re alive, you can fix
those nuts and bolts, right?
You bet.
The other day I was in the middle of a scene
when suddenly I wondered: Okay, what now? As always,
I shivered a little.
Because of those dreaded two words. Because someone
once coined them and created a phrase for writers
to glom onto as an excuse when words stagnate.
I got up from my chair. I paced. To my pragmatic
husband, I said, “Listen to this.”
I read my partial scene aloud. “Argh. What
happens now?”
He shrugged. And then proceeded to offer suggestions
that were so out-of-sync for my story and characters
that I laughed—and went back to the computer.
“Never mind,” I called from my office
as he continued to toss crazy ideas. “I
have it now. I know how I want to finish this
scene.”
He went back to watching the Super Bowl.
I went back to filling in blank screens, my muse
happily rekindled. All I’d needed was a
moment’s reprieve to rejuvenate my thoughts.
Writer’s Block?
In this house, I’m calling it a myth.
Mary J. Forbes pens emotional and character driven
stories for Silhouette Special Edition. Her next
release Everything She's Ever Wanted
will be in bookstores August 2005. For other articles
visit Mary's Back Porch at www.maryjforbes.com.
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