Don't Buy into the Myth of Writer's Block
27th June 2016 | for Creatives | novel writing, writing, Jonathan Maberry, writer's block |
"Don't buy into the myth of writer's block. Nearly every person I've ever met who swears to be stalled by it is actually encountering one of two common problems. More often 'writer's block' is a result of writers trying too hard to write a perfect novel in the first draft. Nobody—no-freaking-body—writes a perfect first draft."
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Stop Mythologizing the Life of a Writer
"Stop mythologizing the life of a writer. Don't wait for the muse to whisper in your ear. Don't cultivate an affected personality. Put your butt in a chair and write. A writer is no different than a plumber, a landscaper or a dental hygienist. We are doing what we are called to do and what we are suited for. You don't need to escape to a cabin and write in a parchment diary with a special pen. Sit at a Starbucks or at home or in the middle of traffic and just write."
Writer's Block Is a Problem
"People treat writer's block like it's this kind of mythical, mystical ailment. It's actually a very specific problem, and that is that something is wrong with your story, or wrong with your scene, and you're tying to do something that is not motivated by your characters. If your writer's block is so complete that you don't even know where to start, it's probably that you're not spending enough time at the keyboard. It's all part of the process."
wasted a lot of years
"I wasted a lot of years writing short stories when I clearly should have been writing novels because that’s what I loved."