As a writer myself, who better than to talk about the often-taboo subject of writer’s block! Having written my entire life, I have had the odd day here and there, and possibly a week or two, whereby the words simply did not flow as they should. The time when inspiration deserted me, leaving me for new horizons and forcing me to face the real world!
Yet, I’ve never once referred to this little episode as writer’s block- it was merely just a lack of passing inspiration. But I have always wondered exactly why many writer’s feel as though they need to label these frequent times as such. Is it a justification to themselves or, most likely, to others?
Is Writers Block Worthy of Being Labelled a Condition?
I often laugh at the many over dramatic portrayals of writer’s block in the media, particularly when somebody labels it as a condition. Most of the time, I feel as though there are a select few who like to label themselves with this to appear more creative, individual or even bohemian!
A condition is something that requires treatment – something medical for example like a disease that needs to be treated before it turns nasty. I’m pretty sure you won’t find somebody running along to their GP to be diagnosed with Writers Block! If you believe I’m being rather harsh, ask yourself this; why is it just writers block? Where is driver’s block, nurse’s bloke or teacher’s block?
Imagine a surgeon experiencing a surgeon’s block at the beginning of a procedure, with a patient waiting on the operating table! Can’t imagine it – no, neither can I, because it simply doesn’t exist!
Let’s Scrap This Term Once and For All
What I would love to see is an author telling the truth for once, instead of falling to that age old writers block excuse when they are behind with their work. Imagine a best-selling author admitting they are procrastinating, hence the reason they have missed their deadline that month!
What a writer really means when they say writer’s block is that there is something else holding them back which, they either don’t really understand yet, or they are simply trying to make it sound more like a condition that needs to be treated seriously.
Next time you feel like using these two dramatic words, look at the circumstances surrounding them and work out what the real reason behind your temporary lack of inspiration is. Because, in all honesty, writer’s block is itself merely an excuse not to write!