Friday, October 7, 2016

Writers block is plain laziness / Happenings In The Outhouse 07-Oct-2016

**Forgive the slight profanity in this post here.**

Let me be frank and bold: writers block is a crock of shit.

Was that too bold?  Sorry, but it had to be said.  I was listening to a podcast last week and one of the topics they discussed was writers block.  I agreed with the interviewee, who said there really wasn't such a thing as writers block.  The interview, obviously, disagreed and tried to wallow his way out of the argument, but failed.

In my opinion, writers block is just plain lazy.

Don't agree.  Let's replace writing with . . . oh, let's say exercise.  "I have exercise block," one says.  No, you're just too damn lazy to get your ass out of the chair and walk or jog or lift weights or eat right or any number of things to help lose weight.

I have "eating right" block.  This is the same thing as exercise block, except it deals with food.  One is too damn lazy to NOT pop that pizza in the oven and just open a bag of lettuce.  Oh, hell, grow a few vegetables, if you are so inclined.

I have a crab apple tree in my yard, which has been producing results for the past two years.  I get excited during the late summer, because I can pluck something from a tree in my own yard and eat it.  Now, I agree that it's not cheap and easy to buy fresh veggies and fruit all the time, but then again it's not cheap and easy to get a heart attack and die!

Okay, back to writers block.  I'm currently 12,000 words into a new novel.  It's a Christmas-themed family drama.  It's a far cry from what I normally write, but I've been having loads of fun with it.  Do I write every single day?  No.  I've been keeping track of how much I write each day on a spreadsheet, and so far I've written about 75% of the days.

Some writers have replaced writing with researching.  Sorry, not the same thing.  Write original words.  For me, I re-read the last few pages, just to get a feel of what's going on and then away I go.  I write whatever comes to mind.  No over-analyzing or agonizing.  Just plain writing, hands on the keyboard.

Try it sometime.  Don't overthink it.  Write whatever comes to mind.  There's really no trick to it.  I know, there are tons of books on writing faster.  Sorry, but I think they're all bullshit.  Not a single one has helped me.  They're too gimmicky.

Banish the thought that you ever suffer from writers block.

Write.

And, most of all, have fun doing it.

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