Is Writer's Block Neurotic? The Man Who Coined The Term Says Yes.

Here's what famous writers say about it.

Do you ever just stare at a blank page and have no idea what to write? For me, that happens when I’m just… fried. Like, last night. I was finishing a new site for a client. I’d promised it would launch today. I finished. Placed a test order. Yay, all works. So, end of day I sent a link. Yay, done!! They reply immediately. They don’t see it.

Sigh. I know it’s a cache issue, preventing them from seeing it. But I don’t know where the cache is that’s preventing them from seeing it. Computer cache? Network cache? ISP cache? Could be any of those. I have no idea. Neither do they. If we can’t see it, will our customers be able to? they ask. At 11pm. So I gave up. Went to bed.

This morning, I was talking writing with Roman over coffee and mentioned that being burned out, usually from work, makes it hard to write. Here’s what he said, because I like to give credit where it’s due and all that good stuff.

In my opinion people try to think too big. They wait around for some special story to fall in their laps. But that's not it. Everything has a story. This coffee cup has a story. My tape dispenser has a story. Find a small thing. Then tell its story.

I stop and look at the cup in my hand. Well damn.

You know, I could write a story about this cup. Also? There’s a hyacinth on my desk. The bloom is almost gone, but I realize I could write a story about that, too. About the time I filled my whole desk with them. So many it was a little crazy, really.

But you know, give me a rabbit hole and I’ll happily run down it to see what can be found there. Today, writer’s block is that rabbit hole. So I googled it. Here’s something you probably didn’t know.

The guy who coined the phrase “writer’s block” said it’s neurotic. See?

Now I need to read this paper. There’s another thing to write about.

But for now, I decide to look and see what successful writers say about writer’s block. Seems most of them agree. Which makes sense. If words are how you pay the bills, you maybe don’t get to just say you have none.

Then again, maybe they’re not neurotic and I am? lol. Kidding.

You know what neurotic means, right? It means having a neurosis. lol. Christ, the English language, sometimes. I look up neurosis, too. Because that’s how I roll.

Neurosis: a mental condition not caused by organic disease, involving symptoms of stress but not a radical loss of touch with reality.

Stress? Induced by stress, but not a radical loss of reality? Okay fine. This morning I was neurotic. I am laughing. This is what happens when I run down a rabbit hole.

I decided to see what famous writers say about how they handle writer’s block. Or if they even get it, or believe in it. Because that’s a thing people say. A lot of people say they don’t “believe” in writer’s block, like it’s the tooth fairy or Santa. Maybe they don’t build websites their clients can’t see less than 24 hours before launch.

“I write like I talk and I don’t get talker’s block.” — Seth Godin

Fair, Mr. Godin. Have to hand it to him, that’s a good point.
***

“I haven’t had writer’s block. I think it’s because my process involves writing very badly.” — Jennifer Egan

This made me laugh. Because yes, if I give myself permission to write something I know will be bad, I can always write. That’s a fair point. Wisdom is knowing when not to hit publish. Not everything has to be published right after writing it.
***

“I don’t believe in “writer’s block”. I try and deal with getting stuck by having more than one thing to work on at a time. And by knowing that even a hundred bad words that didn’t exist before is forward progress.” —Neil Gaiman

I wonder if it’s neurotic if you call it “getting stuck” instead of writer’s block. But it’s the same point Jennifer Egan made. Bad words are better than no words.
***

“I think the trouble starts when you sit down to write and imagine you will achieve something magical and magnificent — and when you don’t, panic sets in. The solution is never to sit down and imagine you will achieve something magical and magnificent.” —Malcolm Gladwell

Ouch. Well that one hits me in a funny place. I do love to feel like I’ve done a good job. Written something pretty magical. And sometimes, I do. But maybe that’s not a good expectation to have every time we sit down to write.
***

“Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?” —Philip Pullman

Trust Pullman to add logic. He’s the guy that introduced me to the magic of shared atoms. That’s a whole story by itself, so I won’t go there today.
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“Writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all.” —Charles Bukowski

I found this gem in Bukowski’s The Last Night of the Earth Poems.

Good advice, Mr. Bukowski. I’ll take it.
***

Do you get writer’s block? Stuck. What do you do about it? John Cleese goes for a walk. He said when he’s stuck and has no words, nature is always the solution. I loved that, except it’s really cold. And dark. And winter. Good advice for the other three seasons. Curious to know what you do when you’re feeling stuck.

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