Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Writer's Block

I hate writer's block. I'm not saying I hate getting writer's block, I'm saying I hate the term. I've always believed it was just an excuse for not writing. "I'd be working on my latest novel, but I have writer's block, so I'll go check my facebook page instead." "The World Series of Poker final table is on, I wonder if my man Phil Ivey will take it this year." (He didn't.) You get the idea. Writer's block is an excuse to be lazy. And here I am about to get all honest on you. I had a huge bout of writer's block for several days last week and spilling into this one. You see I'm deep in the throes of NaNoWriMo, and as anyone knows, who is familiar with this insanity, there is absolutely no room for laziness. That's why we use intriguing, "You non-writers wouldn't understand." terms like writer's block. I was completely lost. I had no idea what to do next in my story. So I didn't do anything. I saw my word count deficit build. I thought maybe this year I would be the loser I always knew I was, and not finish what I had started.

Then, my resolve strengthened. No, I will not be that guy. I will not be what my friends in high school said I was. I am not a quitter. D. Robert 2.0 would prevail. So I put my fingers on my keyboard, and I typed. One painful word after another. Then the keys started clacking a little bit louder. The staccato of words on a page beat the air in rhythm to my pounding heart... Okay, that is a bit dramatic, but suffice to say, the words came. Maybe not the next Faulkner, but there are some nuggets in there. Something that won't hit the editing floor in a few months when I get back to the manuscript. So I say now, writer's block be gone. I do not condescend to acknowledge your presence.

Now, what the heck am I doing writing this blog. I still have a valley to climb out of. A low spot in my climb toward 50,000 words to make up for. 11,787 down. 38,213 to go.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

D. Robert 2.0 will prevail. I'm still in beta.

Susan Kaye Quinn said...

You're doing awesome, D. Robert 2.0! Heh. Love that.

D.M. Bonanno said...

You're absolutely right that the term is an excuse. It's more than that though, it's a self-fulfilling destiny. There are times when stops are needed to work through issues, and those are legitimate writing "thinking" and "analyzing" times, not an excuse to screw around on FB. Good for you for working through it! And personally, anyone trying Nano and not finishing, isn't a loser. Nano is an incredible challenge and participation is a testament to your dedication.

D. Robert Pease said...

D.M. I didn't mean "loser" in a derogatory way toward anyone else. It is a term a friend of mine uses, and has used since high school, to describe me (some friend). And honestly, for a good part of my life I never finished anything. A better term might have been quitter. It is funny the things that motivate you, but I still hear his voice in my head if I ever think about not finishing something. Yes NaNo is hard. And yes there is a chance I won't finish, if I allow real life to get in the way. But I'm going to do my darndest to get it done. And Andy, if you are out there, I am not a loser anymore!

Tamara Morning said...

Aw, come on, you can do this! You know you can! I have a sign on my computer desk that says "BIK FOK": Butt In Chair, Fingers On Keys. Because, really, "winning" NaNo isn't the point here, is it? Telling the story, however, is. And you know you want to tell this story...And that's kinda hard to do if you aren't actually typing. And *I* need the reminder every day. :)