Writer's block, an owner's guide: The block from outer space
Dramatic writers still look to Aristotle as the father of it all. His Poetics describes concepts that we still rely on today and covers the whole field. Let’s see what Aristotle says about writer’s block.
Er… nothing.
Let’s turn to the Romans. Terence? Plautus? What did they…
Nothing.
The story of Shakespeare in Love - a wonderful movie about how love cures writer’s block, go rent it as your reward after today’s writing - has, sadly, been revealed as apocryphal.
The fact is that block was invented in the nineteenth century. It was invented by people who believed in “inspiration.” Inspiration means (1) that you have to sit waiting for the Muse to descend on you and you can’t do much to encourage her (2) but you still get to beat yourself up when she doesn’t. It’s a pretty notion, and let’s not get into arguing about it today because it ties in with all sorts of deep dark things that could make for a long hard argument (spirituality, religion, genius).
But isn’t that interesting? If block was invented, like the tooth fairy, then you - you, personally - you, the writer, killing time surfing the web - you don’t have to believe. You don’t have to buy in.
This post relies on Joan Acocella’s masterly New Yorker article and she in turn acknowledges Zachary Leader’s book (which is still on my reading pile, so we’ll talk about that later too).
Acocella says that block is an American invention, too; she’s heard that it has less hold in what she calls ‘England’. That was not my experience of writing in the UK, or of working with other British writers, or of looking at the bookshop self-help shelves. And it doesn’t fit with her reliance on Coleridge, Shelley, Wordsworth and… y’know, that crowd. But that doesn’t matter - the point stands - some people believe in it and suffer from it, other people don’t believe in it and don’t suffer from it.
I’ve suffered from it, and I’ve been a believer. Yet with everything I learn about the psychology of writing I get closer to believing that I suffered from something imaginary.
I really suspect that writer’s block is just another of those unconscious choices that I made when I was about 18 and that I can unmake when I’m ready. You too? Come on this journey with me?
What if there was no Block Monster hiding under the desk? What if the bigger writers just said that to scare us?
What then?
What now?
Published on July 31, 2004 at 9:19 am. Linking to this article? Thank you! The permanent address is http://www.todayiwrite.com/journal/the-block-from-outer-space.html
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