This week I did an on-line interview with a reader who submitted a list of questions--Why do you write, What are you working on now, and then this one (TWICE!): How do you deal with writer's block?
Short answer: I don't. Longer answer: It's a non-issue. To tell the truth, I don't believe such a thing really exists, merely a refusal (or inability) to tough it out when the going gets tough, to keep going even when nothing seems to work. A cruel answer, I suppose. It's not that I don't get discouraged or feel that everything I'm writing is crap--because I often feel that way. At times I can't immediately figure out how to solve a problem, or a character seems dull or the whole thing is an unredeemable mess. That happens too. Sometimes my ideas bore me silly and I wonder if I should just give it up. But writer's block? No. Not a problem.
So what are we talking about when we talk about writer's block? I know a number of you out there are writers, some just getting started, others old hands with lots of experiences. So what does the term mean to you? And what advice do you have to give to those who think it IS a problem? Let me know!
Short answer: I don't. Longer answer: It's a non-issue. To tell the truth, I don't believe such a thing really exists, merely a refusal (or inability) to tough it out when the going gets tough, to keep going even when nothing seems to work. A cruel answer, I suppose. It's not that I don't get discouraged or feel that everything I'm writing is crap--because I often feel that way. At times I can't immediately figure out how to solve a problem, or a character seems dull or the whole thing is an unredeemable mess. That happens too. Sometimes my ideas bore me silly and I wonder if I should just give it up. But writer's block? No. Not a problem.
So what are we talking about when we talk about writer's block? I know a number of you out there are writers, some just getting started, others old hands with lots of experiences. So what does the term mean to you? And what advice do you have to give to those who think it IS a problem? Let me know!