On his website, Philip Pullman answers a question about writing block, saying that he doesn't believe in it. Plumbers, he says, don't get plumber's block and doctor's don't get doctor's block, so why should writers be "the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?" A part of me wants to shout "bollocks!" to that, since, after all, writing is creative. Like music, or painting, or whatever, you can't force it. But then I calm down a little, and I guess I have to admit that even though I'm not sure I agree with him, he does have a point. Especially since he's talking about writing as a profession. But if I cut myself, wash off the wound and put a plaster on it, I wouldn't call myself a doctor. Same thing goes for my writing. I write because I have fun doing it, but writing fiction is not something that I treat as a profession or have the ambition of making my profession.
So what's the point of this little rant? Well, that since writing is not my profession, I'm perfectly entitled to suffer from writer's block. :) I can never write anything, barely my own name, unless I'm somehow inspired. Lucky for me, it doesn't take much to inspire me. Basslines, hands, nails, church, old people, young people, drunk people, trees, wind, reality shows, umbrellas, nature, coats, whatever.
That I occasionally indulge in writer's block is one of two reasons why it takes me forever to post things here. The other reason is that I never post anything that I've not finished. I want to be able to go back and change things, make sure that things work out, minimise inconsistencies and spell-check a few times. I'm anal like that.
With that said, I am currently posting my textbook slash story. And whilst that one is floating about on the waters of FictionPress, I spend my spare time (sadly, I've not got nearly enough of that these days) writing on other things.
There. This is probably the most serious profile text I've ever written. Woohoo! Now poodles and clowns!
FictionPress.com - let the words flow
