Does Writer's Block Exist?

No wait.  Will all the frustrated writers out there please put down the pitchforks and torches?  Don't lynch me just yet.

I'm not saying writer's block doesn't exist.  I'm asking a question, and thinking through the answer.  And then, maybe, I'm saying it.

Because I'm not convinced it does, even though I've struggled with it for about a week.  "Eh?" you say?

This past week, off and on mind you, I found it a struggle to work on the projects I wanted to work on.  In fact, the novel has been at a standstill for almost two weeks.  That's even after this excellent post where I described how writing out of sequence helped propel me forward.  It did for a few scenes, then... nothing.

Is that writer's block?  A ten second viewing of Wikipedia's entry tells me writer's block is an author being unable to produce new work.  It also says that F. Scott Fitzgerald struggled with it.  Who am I to argue with Fitzgerald?

Here's the thing.  I couldn't figure out what wasn't working with the novel.  So I worked on a short story project.  I mean, I'm a writer, right?  Right?

I structured a story, grew excited about the new world, and started typing it out.  I made it through about 200 words of ugh.  Then I stared at the screen.  I backed up and tried again.  Nothing.  Took a break, came back and sat down at my keyboard.

By this time my head ached, my eyes drooped and the bed called to me.  But, I hadn't written anything worth keeping, and hadn't for a few days.  My weekly 6000 word goal openly mocked me, but that's nothing new this month.

I figured something out.  This particular story involved two characters.  I was writing it third person limited perspective from the wrong character.  It occurred to me that as the lines and prose flowed through my head, I was hearing them as 1st person POV from the other character's perspective.

Hmm.  That information helped, but it still felt like I was in the wrong gear.  So, I wrote a scene from the middle in the new POV.  Magic.  Just like that.

I learned for myself what I've read from other authors.  Sometimes approaching the story the wrong way can keep it from working.

Back to the novel.  This is hard to admit, because it's a fantastic story.  But, I've figured out it's probably not a novel.  It's a novella.  I'm somewhere in the 20-25K word range, and it's already at the climax.  Instead of bloating the story, I'm going to finish it and see where I am.  The story only needs to be as long as the story needs to be.

So, back to writer's block.  I'm still not convinced that it exists to the point that a writer can not write something.  Even when I struggled with both projects mentioned above, I'm certain I could have started another story.  That's what writers do, and that's what I am.

But to the degree that it means a writer can be blocked from writing what he or she wants to write?  Yeah.  Sometimes the story stops you.  Usually, you can break through it by pushing ahead, or pulling back and analyzing what's not working.

Back to the original question.  Does writer's block exist?  Sort of. Kind of.  But not the way most people think.  If you want to be a writer, you have to find a way past this mostly imaginary condition.  That's what you do. It's your job.

Okay.  You can pick up the pitchforks and torches again.

Don't Panic!

I started reading Don't Panic by Neil Gaiman recently and it is a huge relief.  More on that later.

First off, how amazing is it to read a book by one of my favorite authors, about one of my favorite authors?  When I discovered this book existed I felt like I'd drunk a pan galactic gargle blaster.

There are few books I've read more times than all five books of the Hitchhiker's Trilogy.  Yes, even "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish."  These were the first books that made me want to write.  Douglas Adams made it look so easy, which is ironic in the extreme considering all the stories about his struggles with writer's block and deadlines.

Years ago I felt stunned to discover the books were based off of a television series.  I was more stunned to learn that the tv series was based off of a radio series.  This became my secret shame.

How could I, self professed mega fan, not like the tv series?  I just... didn't.  And if the tv series was that bad, how good could the radio show really be?  (For that matter, how big of a fan was I when I didn't know anything about Adams' involvement with Dr. Who, even brief as it was?)

And in the book, I've learned that Douglas Adams' involvement with the television series was limited.  Oh he was involved, but it wasn't quite his vision was it?

Even better.  I decided to listen to the radio broadcasts.  I'm only up to the Vogan ship scene in the first episode so far, but it is brilliant.  It's like the book only not.

Of course I shouldn't have panicked.  

http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/Don't+Panic/

Finish it (Or how I think I've stopped the cycle)

It almost happened again.

Here, in brief, is the story of my writing.  Years ago, I decided professional writing was what I wanted to do.   For now I'll spare you the previous things I wrote that led me to believe I had I shot.  Feel free to insert here the usual "If I only had the times," and the "I can write better than that's" of many like-minded young writers.

I wrote a short story.  If memory serves it was around 2500 words and took three months.  And oh, it was horrid.  I knew something was wrong with it, but couldn't figure out what or how to fix it.  So, I submitted it for publication to Fantasy & Science Fiction.

It was promptly rejected, and rightly so.  The editor even wrote a nice personal letter explaining why it was rejected.  He (or she, I don't remember and the letter disappeared long ago) advised me to keep writing.  Had I taken the advice this journey may not have taken so long.

I didn't know how.  Writing fiction was much harder than I'd realized.  Practice?  Ha!  That was for "lesser writers."  I just couldn't think of another good idea.  (Or a more original excuse.)  So I quit.

Fast forward.  Two other times I picked up the pen and put it down again.  Fortunately, both times I realized that I'd actually have to work at the craft, but even then I believed there were shortcuts.  Someone who reads as much as me should be able to write better.  I still felt (to dwindling degrees, but it was there) a sense of entitlement.

Twice more when the writing (and in the later instance, life itself) grew difficult I put the pen down.

Now the present.  I've been writing every day.  I'm open to learning.  When a deficiency becomes apparent (I loathe building the setting) I work to improve and write outside my comfort zone (my last story was built around a particular setting.  To my surprise, my first reader said that the characters were better than any previous story.)

I have multiple submissions out.  (Eventually I may move to indie publishing, but I tried that as a shortcut too.  I don't want to indie publish because my work is so bad an editor won't but it.)

And then the last two days happened.  The brick wall smacked me hard in the face.  With my latest story submitted (and the first rejection letter just arrived) I wasn't sure what to write.  I had three story ideas that seemed promising, but discarded them for various reasons.  I started one, but it didn't seem good enough.  Maybe I'd write tomorrow.  But that path leads to not writing anymore.

What is that rule?  "Finish what you write"?

I'm finishing it.  Either it will be good practice that improves my skill but doesn't sell, or it will be good practice that improves my skill and sells.  After a few hundred words the story began to intrigue me again.  Usually I at least think I know what will happen, but this time I have no clue and it's constantly surprising me.

I suspect the beginning will have to be tweaked once it's finished.  And I have no idea whether or not it's good.  But I'm writing it.  I'm finishing.  And I'm repeating.

Writer's write.  I think I'm truly becoming one.