I often get into heated debates with my friend Robert who writes fiction. He thinks I’m too corporate. I think he’s too (to borrow a word from the James Chartrand dictionary) arTEEST. Last night Robert and I chatted for the 407th time about writing through writer’s block.
After all, if one wants to be a REAL writer, one should write every day. Right? And surely this writing even when one would rather drive pencils through his eyes will never ever lead to burnout. Right? (insert my dramatic eye rolling here)
As things between Robert and me often go, we parted on our favorite shared cliche – agreeing to disagree. Yet we both left the table feeling inspired, wondering why we don’t get together to debate (and have flirt fights with baristas) more often.
Robert writes every single day, whether he wants to or not. He’s never felt burnt out, nor has he ever experienced what he’d call a real case of writer’s block. His fiction in its final form is brilliant, but most of what he writes is garbage. It takes him a hundred hours to get to ten good hours worth of publishable content. (He says so. I’m not being a jerk.)
I, on the other hand, save my writing for the times when inspiration strikes. When I’m inspired to write, what I crank out is pretty good. On the rare occasion I try to bust out my muse when she would rather be hibernating, my writing sucks major ass. I could easily spend a hundred hours writing one sentence in those times, and that sentence would still bite — hence my not bothering. I would prefer to spend those hundred hours doing something that won’t make me want to put my fist through my face. Yet when I’m inspired, I burn the candle at both ends. I’m willing to sacrifice sleep and food to crank out the good goods, knowing full well I’ll feel burnt out when it’s over. And I know trying to write my way out of burnout is very akin to lighting my hair on fire then wondering why my head hurts.
So who is right? Maybe we both are. Maybe neither of us is. Maybe we all have to do what’s right for us and stop listening to the folks who tell us how we have to be or what we have to do to be a real writer, a good writer, the best writer.
But I’m curious. Does writing through writer’s block work for you? Have you ever successfully written your way out of burnout?
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
I am participating in a creative writing group that include my friend and me … Each day (Mon-Fri) we have a new topic and we write for 10 minutes, with no editing.
As it is a daily process, I find myself writing on a completely uninspired mood.
I think you can tell which is which… The uninspired pieces stand out from the rest. I do not feel more inspired after I am done writing, but I do realize it is possible to write even when you’re blocked but the quality of your writing shows it and what can you do with bad pieces of writing? What can it contribute to you?
I can send you a link to the daily writing if you so wish …
Avital Gertner-Samet’s last blog post..Journaling Prompt #7 – Write a Fairy tale
Avital - that sounds very interesting. Perhaps for ten minutes a day it would be a fun exercise. Are you enjoying the group? Is it an online group, or do you meet in person? Yes, I would love to see the link.
Oh my God, is that text in your photo from Lemony Snicket?!
Yayy!
HOLY SHIT. We are twins. I am the EXACT same. I could have written that paragraph describing how you write. I write when inspiration strikes. And it’s been ten years. Now I’m trying the force myself approach. Tei says I have to and I generally do what she says if I know what’s good for me.
It’s bloody hard! It makes me feel as though I’m trying to bite my forehead! I know everyone is different, and that’s what I thought: we just have to do what’s right for us. But I want to write! I can’t believe I’ve not been inspired for so long. I guess my question is, what can I do to spur on ideas? To be inspired more often?
Hmm… well, ten years is a long time. And of course, the first thing I thought of was sex. If you haven’t had the desire to have sex in ten years, do you go ahead and whip out the vibrator, or do you remain orgasm-free? This may sound like an odd thing to bring up, but I think different people would feel differently on that one… just as they would about writing.
Personally, if I hadn’t been inspired to write in ten years, I would be doing other things. However, if YOU want to write regardless of whether or not you feel inspired to, then I say good for you. Go for it.
What inspires me most is reading. Although I must say, I do find that when I don’t want to write that I don’t want to read either. Sometimes seeing a good play helps, or even a good movie. (Were there any good movies made this year? It’s a sad lot to choose from.) If I want to write poetry, I read poems. If I want to write a memoir, I read memoirs. I go see a slam poet. Or watch a movie based on a memoir and try not to hate the hollywood bastardization of it…
Or I talk to people like my friend Rob who piss me off but simultaneously inspire me. He is a Sag/Cap cusp like Tei, btw.
Oh and here is the full jacket of the book:
Dear Reader,
Before you throw this awful book to the ground and run as far away from it as possible, you should probably know why. This book is the only one which describes every last detail of the Baudelaire children’s miserable stay at Heimlich Hospital, which makes it one of the most dreadful books in the world.
There are many pleasant things to read about, but this books contains none of them. Within its pages are such burdensome details as misleading newspaper headlines, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anesthesia, heart-shaped balloons, and some very startling news about such things.
I have sworn to research this story, and to write it down as best I can, so I should know that this book is something best left on the ground, where you undoubtedly found it.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
Mostly I just thought the shadows were neat.
I’ve come to view “writer’s block” as one of two things, really: either one has nothing worthwhile to say (and thus shouldn’t bother to write) or one is just being lazy, procrastinating when they should be writing.
I don’t think real writers must write every day, but real writers must write when they must write–that is, if we have an article or other project due, then, regardless of how we feel, we ignore the feelings, and press through doing the hard and responsible work of writing.
However, if we have nothing due, then I opt for writing when we want to, when we get the “inspiration.” Especially with blogging–if we don’t have anything to say, we’re better off not saying it. Too many bloggers probably write when they don’t have much original or noteworthy to say, just because they feel they should write something.
So…writer’s block–I think it’s generally an excuse to not do the hard work of writing when we have writing we must do.
Other than that, though, we should write when we want to and actually have something to say.
Jesse Hines’s last blog post..How to Become a More Clear and Concise Writer by Reading Road Signs
Jesse - I tend to agree with you. I make my deadlines, even when I’d rather nap. Otherwise, I’m sticking to your plan of only writing when I have something worthwhile to say. Very smart!
Hi Amy,
First thank you for not only stopping by, but for commenting as well. I appreciate that.
Most of the published writers I know write everyday, or when not writing they are usually researching. They are releasing a book every year, most of them. Researching covers a lot of things that also look recreational. Sometimes things are just percolating.
It’s like that for an artist too. We are in a way always working. Not every idea needs to be executed though. I think the important thing is to keep ourselves fluid.
Today a colleague and friend of mine were talking about our work. What to do when we are stuck and came up with this brilliance, “When it is hard, it is hard. So you do the next right thing, whatever it is.” And sometimes it is as simple as picking something , anything, and getting the juices flowing again.
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..A Little Progress is a Good Thing
Janice - I am happy to have found your blog. I wish I had real art skills but do not; hence, I admire those who do.
I don’t write books. Well, not as a career. I do have two novel manuscripts floating through the rejection process, but both were written for fun rather than for profit.
I wonder if writer’s block might also differ not just by person but also by genre/career path.
More things to think about while I’m at the dentist tomorrow….
Thanks for visiting my sad little home here.
I have a writing schedule and I stick to it.I do not feel required to write down more than ” I can’t really think of anything to write today because I feel crabby and Life is pretty much a bowl of soggy cornflakes…..” But once I get that out of my system it is sometimes amazing what shows up on the page.I know I am often surprised what has risen out of soggy cornflakes. Julia Cameran says it’s my job to show up.I’ve trusted her with that.So far..it’s what it is.
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..Taking Time for Time Out.
Amy,
Hmm. I write a lot, in spite of the fact that writing is not my profession. (Hence, not “REAL.”) I’ve always written a lot. I’ve never really had writer’s block, in the sense of not being able to write anything, but I’ve had plenty of times when I felt rebellious about an assignment I needed to finish and couldn’t think of a word to say on the subject at hand.
I’m kind of a hippie about that. I go with the flow, and if there isn’t any flow, I don’t force it unless it’s very necessary, like I’m up against a deadline. I like happy more than I like done, I guess.
By not forcing myself to write, I find the words come back to me on their own in short order.
We’re all different, though. Some folks wait for the muse to nibble on their ear. Some folks like routines and schedules and get lost without them. I don’t think doing it Julia Cameron’s way makes you an arTEESTe. I think believing your way is the only right way and everyone else is an unevolved talentless schmuck is what makes someone an arTEESTe.
I never would have guessed that you’re the type to wait until the timing is right.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: Getting Ahead
Alright, this sucks. My feed reader hasn’t been updated from this blog since late May and I thought my beloved Pandora was MIA.
*ahem* Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I’ve tried both ways; bulling through the block and leaving it all until I felt like writing. Neither works well.
For me, having a good concept for a topic is what works. Sometimes it’s a title, other times it’s an opening sentence that gets everything going and filling up the page.
Harrison McLeod’s last blog post..Putting Twitter on Notice
Harry,
I would agree that I have something like that to draw ideas from. I call it my inspiration book. ( shoot me if you must..its from Life’s Little Inspirations…)
and I carry it around with me. So as I am going through my day, I jot down thoughts, sentences, quotes that pop in my head, ideas, sometimes a paragraph and then often in the morning when I get ready to write I look over that book and if something jumps out at me, that’s what I go with. Sometimes, I’ve been jotting down enough that I have a pretty good idea, sometimes it’s just a word or two, somtimes it’s a picture.I never know where the inspiration is coming from. But I try to catch it as it comes.
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..Taking Time for Time Out.
Wendi - I like your inspiration book idea. Back when I used to write in a real paper journal, I had one where there were quotes at the tops of the pages. Cheesy, but some did inspire me. Who is Julia Cameron?
Kelly - what do you write? I want to read it. (I am only a waiter about SOME things…)
Harold - I don’t even have a feed reader. How sad is that? Anyway… I have been in semi-hibernation I guess. Still working, just abandoning everything I don’t have to do… Which I’ve found can be very very little if I try hard. How is James? I’ve heard rumblings that you’ve been poking him in the ears with pointy things.
Amy,
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude and act like everyone should know that just because I read her. I was tired I guess.
Julia Cameron is an author who writes about being a writer. I have two of her books, The Sound of Paper and The Artist’s Way. Both of them are written in short 5-6 stand alone essays that you can read and think over with a writing exercise to do if you wish after each one.
The Sound of Paper addresses the issue we are talking about here, an exerpt from the back cover: “Julia Cameron delves deep into the heart of the personal struggles that all artists experience. What we can do when we face our keyboard or canvas with nothing but a cold emptiness?…”
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..Taking Time for Time Out.
Amy,
Harry (reads your blog, comments, and awaited your return with baited breath—wait, I did all that, and) called you his beloved Pandora, and I want you to know I am utterly jealous. Because I’m petty like that.
I write: a blog
, business letters, proposals, plans, client materials, instructions to contractors, emails which are sometimes boring business stuff, and sometimes substitute for how I used to adore letter-writing with good pen pals, journals (though not so much anymore), poems of widely varying quality, and an occasional paper or small book on a line of genealogy. I’d be happy to write love letters but I think you have to have a love for that. I haven’t touched fiction-writing in forever. I don’t have the fire in the belly for it.
My advice: read the blog. All the fire, none of the annoying minutiae.
Later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Steal Dave Balter’s Secret!
Wendi - I didnt think you were rude. I just figured this is someone else everyone has heard of but me. Happens a lot. I live under a rock, many folks say… I will have to check out some of her books next time I shop.
Kelly - I love your blog. I had hoped you would say you secretly write fantasy novels under a pen name. But the other stuff works too.
(PS, maybe you have to be gay like me before all the rifle-toting boys want to stalk you? Or maybe it is because he subconciously knows I dream about scruffing his cats’ bellies.)
Ah, gods… the arTEESTe… save us all!
Writer’s block is as simple to cure as walking away and removing the pressure to perform from ourselves. This is what blocks us. Fear. Worry. Concern we can’t do it. Why can’t we do it? Dammit, do it!
Ooh, the stress. Walk away. You don’t have to do it.
And then inspiration hits. Amazing.
James - Hey!! How’s the ear? I agree with you about walking away. Maybe now I can say I walk away for good reasons? (People always say running is bad, but I have never been able to really feel it that way.)
I am off to the dentist. (I have a cavity, so nothing major, but after having braces for many years I learned to really not like going to the dentist.) my other dentist retired, and I am curious whether this one will let me use my iPhone in the chair. Hehe.
Ear? Try earS. The infection went from one to the other, so I got a double-shot of pain.
Thankfully, everything’s healing and I’m almost back to normal.
And there’s always a good reason to walk away
James Chartrand - Men with Pens’s last blog post..How a Great Reputation Can Hurt Your Business
James - that sucks dude. I feel your pain, almost literally. I
have had so many really bad ear infections, and they always end up in my throat and sinuses. So I just kinda
wanna ax my head off for about a month. Not cool to try to work through either.
Amy,
If life situations could flip the switch… apparently there’s more to it than that. Then I could write love letters! Wait, I’d still have to locate a love.
Bit extreme just to get Mr. McLeod to adore me, though.
Harry, I know you’re smirking in your sleep.
James,
Exactly. Walking away always works for me. Except when it doesn’t, and then I just walk a little farther.
Later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Steal Dave Balter’s Secret!
@ Kelly - Chibougamau and the Yukon always sounded quite appealing to me.
James Chartrand - Men with Pens’s last blog post..How a Great Reputation Can Hurt Your Business
Hampton, New York, babe. Refreshes the soul. Mountains, flora, fauna, cool weather, rain right now (ahh, I love rain). No cell phone reception but the wifi is perfect. Who could ask for anything more?
I should write something.
Kelly’s last blog post..Steal Dave Balter’s Secret!
Kelly - Did you move?
Nope. Visiting Mummy and Daddy. Wish I could, though. Boy, do I. Albany, maybe, or Toronto. In 2017. *sigh*
Kelly’s last blog post..Steal Dave Balter’s Secret!
Why Albany? I have never been there.
Near M&D but not so boondocks. I REALLY miss cool weather when I’m in Delaware. I’m not built for it at all. (I also miss M&D, but not enough to live *this* close all the time, ha ha.)
Albany’s small and friendly as big cities go, which is about my speed. We almost moved there a few years ago, but… it didn’t work out that way.
Kelly’s last blog post..Steal Dave Balter’s Secret!
Whoa, I should have kept up with this.
I meant hadn’t been inspired with a fiction story idea for ten years. And even that’s not entirely true. I tried but it didn’t go anywhere and I gave up thinking I didn’t really have any ideas. In the meantime, because I love to write, I’ve been writing everything else. But I think one of the commentators had a point: you might just be procrastinating and lazy. Hmmm. Or a quitter, or afraid of hard work. Now I’m owning up to it. And following James’ advice when I get frustrated. Good advice, that.
steph’s last blog post..Working on It
Kelly - Send me some photos of Albany. I’d like to see it without actually having to go there to see it…
Steph - James is wise. But don’t tell Harry I told you that. Otherwise, he will probably add something else to my Pandora nickname. (Hehe.)
Wait - what - WISE?!
Sheesh. That’s the LAST thing I want to be known as. Or else all my carefully crafted disguises shatter.
James Chartrand - Men with Pens’s last blog post..How a Great Reputation Can Hurt Your Business
James - You are wise. Like Yoda. But less green. I assume, having never seen you.
Hi Amy,
I don’t believe in writer’s block. I think it’s an illusion. I don’t write everyday, but I try to. Well, I write something everday (like this response), but I was talking about fiction.
I do believe in burnout, though. I definitely get blog burnout. And writing article burnout. Maybe because it’s more linear? Or I view it as work? I don’t know.
I like fiction because I’m not in control. The story is. I know everyone has heard this cliche before, about letting the story tell itself. But it works for me.
If I give the story and characters some space, they do what they want. I like that because then I don’t have to do anything except get it all down.
So I guess I’m closer to your friend Robert’s way of looking at fiction writing. I also believe that editing is very important. I don’t like editing. It’s my least favorite thing to do.
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..What are You Fishing for?
Ellen - what you say makes sense to me. I would like to read some of your fiction sometime.
Sure! And I would reciprocate the favor. I have a novel and some shorts that have been edited. Send me an email and we can trade if you want.
Steph has a story out right now that I’m critiquing. That will take a few days because I don’t like to rush things.
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..What are You Fishing for?
Ellen - I just answered your email, so I suppose I shouldn’t respond here too. But OCD = can’t help myself. So…
I will look forward to reading your writing. I wish I made a better editor/critique-doer. Unfortunately, I suck, because I’m too dyslexic. I just like to read for fun.
Please do comment and discuss.
We love a good conversation!
Please use a name when commenting. Does not have to be your real name or full name. But responding to folks calling themselves "Make Money Writing Online" and such kinda sucks. Calling yourself keywords will likely get you thrown into my spam filter.