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- “The Words” – a story of a blocked writer telling a story about a plagiarized story.
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- When enthusiastic feedback activates writer’s block
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Tag Archives: writing blocks
“You’ve had the power all along to return to Kansas…and write your novel.”
In the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, when Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, informs Dorothy of her power, she isn’t referring to Dorothy’s writing block, but she could have been. Like a struggling writer who’s lost touch with … Continue reading
A blocked Paul Dano writes his girlfriend into existence in “Ruby Sparks.”
Armed with only a recurring dream about a marvelous girl and Eliot Gould for a shrink, Paul Dano manages to bust through a tenacious ‘second novel syndrome’ writer’s block in the movie Ruby Sparks. Unfortunately, he relapses, but fortunately, he starts … Continue reading
A writer must learn to deal with the thought, “I would prefer not to.”
In Herman Melville’s story, Bartleby the Scrivener, an exasperated lawyer struggles to make Bartleby, a scrivener who copies legal documents, agree to do even the simplest of work tasks. But no matter what the request is, Bartleby’s response is always the … Continue reading
Writer’s block may pay off after you’re dead – if you can write about it.
At a recent Sotheby’s auction, a short letter written by Franz Kafka to the poet Albert Ehrenstein was sold for $74,500 dollars. In the letter, Kafka complains about his writer’s block. Luckily his block wasn’t so bad that couldn’t write a … Continue reading
Bird by Bird is the Word
Anne Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird, is a wonderful instruction book about writing that’s worth reading even if you aren’t having problems. It’s truly funny, which is important for anyone who feels demoralized or overwhelmed by the challenges of writing. … Continue reading
Evaluating writing block advice from successful writers
I’ve read quite a bit of the writer’s block advice offered by successful writers. ”What better source could there be for this information?” you might ask. After all, they’ve achieved something notable in the field, and if they have suffered … Continue reading
Imagination gone wild: catastrophizing and writing blocks
The human imagination is a many splendored thing, and as a writer, you depend on it. But in addition to providing wonderful ideas and images for us to use in our work, imagination can also take small challenges and transform … Continue reading
Mentoring, Janet Frame’s fame, and writing productivity
A mentor is someone who is a wise and trusted counselor. When I teach classes for blocked and procrastinating writers, I often ask the students if they have a writing mentor. Few do. A writing mentor can serve a variety … Continue reading
Posted in Common Writing Block Problems, Feedback and criticism, Mental health and writing blocks, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination
Tagged Famous writers, Mental Health and writing, procrastination, writing advice, writing blocks, writing mentor
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Better writing productivity through chemistry? Marcus Boon’s “The Road of Excess”
Marcus Boon’s book,“The Road of Excess” chronicles the chemically induced altered state habits of a number of famous writers. Boon discusses the history of anesthetics, narcotics, psychedelics, cannabis and stimulants within the literary world. The stimulants are the drugs he … Continue reading
Posted in Common Writing Block Problems, Famous writers, The Blocked Writer's Book of the Dead, Tips for overcoming writer's block and procrastination
Tagged coffee and writing, depression, Famous writers, Mental Health and writing, motivation to write, writing blocks, writing drugs, writing habit change, writing productivity
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The tyranny of perfection and the blocked writer
If I need this blog post to be perfect, I’ll never get it done. I prefer the “It can’t be awful” standard over “It must be perfect.” This feels more humane to me and allows for greater freedom and creativity, … Continue reading
