Hi everyone! How are you? This is LaVel Moorehead: writer, reader, book blogger extraordinaire. Unfortunately these past couple of weeks, I've been hemmed in by schoolwork. Hopefully, I'll get to blog more in the upcoming weeks. For now, let me skip the intros and get right to the new book I just picked up: "Writer's Block and How to Use It" by Victoria Nelson!
I just read chapter one of the book titled "What Is Writers Block." Surprisingly, I even read the preface! Shocker. The lovely Ms. Nelson says in the preface that she draws her approaches to writer's block from precepts on humanistic psychology and "its ideological forebears." What a mouthful! I had to turn away from the book and blink a couple of times. It's not as sciency as the last book, which is a relief. Also, this chapter is short; in fact, this book is approximately 170 pages. Thank GOD! Let me share a few points from chapter one. :-)
-Writers Block = temporary or chronic inability to put words to paper; yes, I've had this problem multiple times!
-Writers Block isn't bad per se. Wow, when I read this, I was shocked, but Ms. Nelson explains herself beautifully. Writers Block isn't "bad" because it's a "unconscious" reassessing of one's work. As Ms. Nelson says "the block is a signal to readjust the way you are approaching your work it is not the problem itself."
-Nelson cites the poet Carolyn Kizer who said, "The unconscious creates, the ego edits." Images and thoughts form the unconscious, the ego forms the conscious. One point that I disagree with Ms. Nelson is that Writers Block is involuntary. She says that Writer's Block solely stems from writers having a "blockage" from images and thoughts. However, writers block can stem from the ego; a writer can look down on his/her work and refuse to write. Ms. Nelson admits so herself later in the chapter. ;-)
-The child analogy: you may be an adult, but if you want to learn how to play, be a child and play child games once again! Likewise with writing, we need to learn how to love ourselves instead of looking down on her work. Of course, their is a difference between caring for oneself and narcissism. Writers need to encourage each other because the art is hard enough without negative thoughts!
-The Harvard Analogy: Ms. Nelson says that sometimes, we need to rip up out "Harvard application" because it can overwhelm our "ignominy of kindergarten." In other words, thinking that one's writing must be on the level of Jane Austen for example takes the fun out of writing. We want to stack up when 1, your writing may not be on that level and two, writing is supposed to be fun and a learning process. So breathe! Writing is an art and there's so much to learn. :D
Thankfully, this is all I have tonight. I need to settle down for the night and breathe; I've done so much today that I feel like I'm running in circles. :] Have a wonderful day, y'all. Post a comment on my blog and share your thoughts on whether writer's block is solely voluntary, involuntary, or in the middle. Have a great night. :]
-LaVel
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