Wednesday, February 20, 2013

A great quote on writers block!!


I love this quote below. I have written about the social construction of writers block a few times here, but I want to simply share this great quote. It is from,  Silvia, P. J. (2007). How to write a lot. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. This is a good book, and belongs in your collection of writing reference books.

"I love writer’s block. I love it for the same reasons I love tree spirits and woodland creatures- they’re charming and they don’t exist....Writers block is nothing more than then the behavior of not writing. Saying that you can’t write because of writers block is merely saying that you can’t write because you are not writing (p. 45-46)."

So, what are the implications of this quote for you? Do a ten minute free write about it, in your writer's journal, and please do share with me what you came up with. Any insights that can help you through the next time you have a hard time writing?


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4 comments:

  1. MonicaFebruary 20, 2013 at 6:21 PM

    This is a quote to love. For me, it is a reminder to write something on paper, even if it is off-topic. Putting new words "on paper" is still the most difficult part of the process for me. I am discovering that I enjoy revising and editing. So now on a daily basis, I have a deal with myself to write a set number of new words for a manuscript before I revise any part of it.

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    Replies
    1. Rich FurmanFebruary 21, 2013 at 10:23 AM

      Hi Monica,

      Thanks for the post- its been a while. Given that for you, the hardest part is new writing, you might want to think about a few tools.

      1) As you mentioned, daily word goals. Try time goals as well, and see what works best for you.
      2) Accountability mechanisms that provide some feedback when you do not meet these goals.
      3) Free writing techniques.

      A few examples are discussed in other posts.

      Productive writing.

      Rich

      PS. FYI, you are pretty lucky you enjoy the revising and editing processes-many people do not.

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  2. E.LouiseFebruary 21, 2013 at 10:01 AM

    Found your blog through academia, like many others I'm sure. Love it. I can get a bit ethereal and mystical in my approach to writing so this will be a good balance.
    Cheers,
    Emma
    http://growandbegrown.blogspot.ca

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rich FurmanFebruary 21, 2013 at 10:11 AM

    Thanks Emma!

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