I just heard from a friend, a writer, who is in a panic. Despite having all the material she needs for her current book, she’s found herself unable to translate any of her research onto the page. This is a woman who generally writes as naturally as she breathes, who is bright and articulate and talented.
What happened?
Some people call it writer’s block, but it’s more than that. It’s an erosion of self-trust, of the sense of knowing who one is and what one can do. And it doesn’t just happen to writers: it can happen to anybody, at any time. It’s just that with writers, more often than not, it happens when there’s a deadline looming.
There are a lot of theories as to how and why it happens, but it’s probably more useful to talk about how to deal with writer’s block, and leave the how and the why to lazy afternoons in an outdoor café (oops, there I am thinking I’m back in Bucharest again!).
Behavioral therapy, it’s called, and this site has a number of excellent suggestions for dealing with writer’s block from a behavior point of view. Change the behavior, change the outcome.
What about you? Does anyone have any thoughts about writer’s block, or tried-and-true methods for dealing with it? Let me know!
– Jeannette Cézanne
www.jeannettecezanne.com
Posted by: — jcezanne
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