tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post113752478209630280..comments2024-03-28T02:00:11.260-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Writer's BlockJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-64646973781322396312011-06-27T10:32:16.101-05:002011-06-27T10:32:16.101-05:00Hey there Joe! Just wanted to say thanks for this ...Hey there Joe! Just wanted to say thanks for this post. It is an oldie but a goodie. <br /><br />I only started writing six months ago but I was paranoid I would develop writer's block at some point. I was a waiter/bartender for about ten years and this post really hit home. I don't know how many times I went to work dreading talking to the guests. I would put on my best smile and pretend I was having the time of my life.<br /><br />I have already been able to put this attitude into my writing and part of that is due to this post. <br /><br />I am writing a post today on my blog about writer's block, and I'm linking to this one.<br /><br />Thanks again!Kirkus MacGowanhttp://www.kirkusmacgowan.info/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137708776754603772006-01-19T16:12:00.000-06:002006-01-19T16:12:00.000-06:00Not everyone who writes is good enough to be publi...Not everyone who writes is good enough to be published. On the other hand, no matter how bad you are, chances are that there is someone even worse who's gotten published.<BR/><BR/>Ultimately, I think it comes down to how much you want it, and how much you like/dislike the process. If you still find it fulfilling, it's worth persisting. If it makes you miserable, though, you're probably better off trying something else.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137615275278100272006-01-18T14:14:00.000-06:002006-01-18T14:14:00.000-06:00Until the last six months, I would have said that ...Until the last six months, I would have said that Writer's Block simply did not exist to me.<BR/><BR/>But after eight novels, I've run into the brick wall called: Nothing Gets Published. <BR/><BR/>Because I write nearly all day every day, my mind has gone through a bizarre kind of depression/hell the past few months.<BR/><BR/>This was the first time in fifteen years I've ever <I>really</I> felt like giving up. I mean I'm thirty-two years old, I've been a full-time writer most of my adult life, and yet I haven't managed to sell anything professionally.<BR/><BR/>You really do reach a point where you say "Should I just throw in the towel? Nobody gives a shit about me anyways, and no one will ever publish anything I write."<BR/><BR/>But if you plant your ass in your chair every day, you manage through. You just have to have self-discipline.<BR/><BR/>Stacey<BR/>www.staceycochran.comStacey Cochranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14128613653591282474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137605038516865342006-01-18T11:23:00.000-06:002006-01-18T11:23:00.000-06:00I agree with Rob that what a lot of people call wr...I agree with Rob that what a lot of people call writer's block is really just laziness. But it can also be fear. <BR/><BR/>I've found that when I stop worrying about whether or not I'm writing crap and I just write, that's when the muse is at her best.Kim Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08418263881244080814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137604362322875092006-01-18T11:12:00.000-06:002006-01-18T11:12:00.000-06:00I believe that writer's block is of our own making...I believe that writer's block is of our own making, in my case from being overwhelmed with shit life keeps throwing - can't deal with the book, have to deal with this - and fear.<BR/><BR/>But Joe's absolutely right. Throw the tangles on stage and let them fight it out.<BR/><BR/>The words will come.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137600155670562542006-01-18T10:02:00.000-06:002006-01-18T10:02:00.000-06:00Joe,Two things: One... please continue posting on ...Joe,<BR/><BR/>Two things: One... please continue posting on a daily basis! I love your posts, they're beyond fandango.<BR/><BR/>TWO:<BR/>A playwriting teacher of mine from many years back said one thing I haven't forgotten to this day (it was that good) he said (and i quote):<BR/><BR/>"Writer's Block is complete bullshit. If I slammed a bag with a dollar sign on it, filled with 10 million dollars, in the center of this table and said 'first to write a story gets this money' I bet NONE of you would have writer's block."<BR/><BR/>And he was right. Needless to say, whenever I feel the whiny "artiste" in me start to kvetch, that 10 million dollar sack comes flying from the heavens, barely missing my keyboard. And, oh, how the words fly out then.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10996771273232767374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137583674428220912006-01-18T05:27:00.000-06:002006-01-18T05:27:00.000-06:00Writing is a muscle that needs constant exercise, ...Writing is a muscle that needs constant exercise, so that when the muse strikes, the writer is ready to punch her back.<BR/><BR/>Or something.Daniel Hatadihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00453583064175651509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137562326088405872006-01-17T23:32:00.000-06:002006-01-17T23:32:00.000-06:00I was going to write a response to this post but I...I was going to write a response to this post but I have writer's block. Give me a couple months.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04914329013690756540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137559258829901882006-01-17T22:40:00.000-06:002006-01-17T22:40:00.000-06:00Jeb! That son of a bitch owes me money!Jeb! That son of a bitch owes me money!Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137559061045922722006-01-17T22:37:00.000-06:002006-01-17T22:37:00.000-06:00I don't believe in writer's block. I believe that...I don't believe in writer's block. I believe that sometimes your characters do something you haven't plotted or outlined so that you're stuck trying to get out of the mess your character put you in. But that isn't writer's block, that's just part of the process.WannabeMehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15938094279274975960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137544373028766592006-01-17T18:32:00.000-06:002006-01-17T18:32:00.000-06:00I believe in writer's block, even smack-dab in the...I believe in writer's block, even smack-dab in the middle of a story - you simply write through it. Write. Write anything. Write about something you heard on TV, Write about a current event. Just write. Then * poof * the block is written away - hello muse. That's my take.Millenia Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04946305818793386484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137543113749921912006-01-17T18:11:00.000-06:002006-01-17T18:11:00.000-06:00I used to be a pipe fitter. Nukes, chemical and oi...I used to be a pipe fitter. Nukes, chemical and oil refineries.<BR/> We used to say you only need to know two things to be a plumber: <BR/>Shit rolls down hill, and payday's on Friday.<BR/>I quit writing for three days earlier this month because I just couldn't seem to make anything work.<BR/>Then, I got a rejection for a story I wrote called "No Joy". About some construction hands finding a skull in a trench where they were laying pipe. And how that skull represented something different for each one of them. The editor actually gave me some great comments on my story. Told me he'd like to see a rewrite, and other stories I had.<BR/>Changed my world. It's all good again. What does this all mean? Hell if I know. I'm waiting for payday.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137541482868630162006-01-17T17:44:00.000-06:002006-01-17T17:44:00.000-06:00I believe in muses.I believe in writer's block.I b...I believe in muses.<BR/><BR/>I believe in writer's block.<BR/><BR/>I believe in writing through it, or at least doing something else useful while writer's block lasts. I never cease to be amazed at how cleaning the bathroom makes me want to get back to writing as soon as possible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137540153719273272006-01-17T17:22:00.000-06:002006-01-17T17:22:00.000-06:00Dude, I'm stealing this plot line and writing a no...Dude, I'm stealing this plot line and writing a novel about it. Just as soon as my muse returns from vacation and the magic goes out of my welding work (ok, welder's assistant) and I develop welder's block.<BR/><BR/>Except that in my novel, Holly is actually pregnant by fraternal twins. One is her father's baby, the other is her father's gay lover's baby. It later turns out that the father and his boyfriend have the same father.<BR/><BR/>To guyot: craftsmanship is much more important than art, whether in plumbing or writing.HawkOwlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08506953701159624542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137538229473359912006-01-17T16:50:00.000-06:002006-01-17T16:50:00.000-06:00Writer's block is just an excuse. Yes, Rob, lazine...Writer's block is just an excuse. Yes, Rob, laziness. Distractions. Loss of concentration. Spending too much time reading people's blogs instead of writing, even. This is from people who WANT to write, but can't be arsed.<BR/><BR/>When I hit a stumbling block in a longer work, I write some very short fiction. A prompted 100 word-er or two gets the juices flowing. We did a sponsored charity flash writing challenge last year. 24 hours. As many works of 250 words (or less). Money for each story we wrote. I wrote 15, and got some great story ideas came out of the single word or phrase prompts.<BR/><BR/>Nah - writer's block? Poppycock.Author-Geraldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07413814636704961731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137535335533628752006-01-17T16:02:00.000-06:002006-01-17T16:02:00.000-06:00Sit down and write. Inspiration will come. If not,...Sit down and write. Inspiration will come. If not, well, you can at least look your Significant Other in the eye and say "I worked today."JD Rhoadeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07123361739160525998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137535006014546082006-01-17T15:56:00.000-06:002006-01-17T15:56:00.000-06:00I have to agree with you, Joe. I've never believe...I have to agree with you, Joe. I've never believed in writer's block.<BR/><BR/>There have been times, yes, that I'm stuck on a story point, not knowing how to get out of it or which way to turn, but that isn't blockage. It's just process.<BR/><BR/>Being unable to write for months on end seems to me to be -- shall I say it? -- laziness.<BR/><BR/>I always tell writers who don't know how to get past their "block" to simply start putting words on paper. They don't have to make sense. Just write whatever comes into your brain.<BR/><BR/>Sooner or later it will start to come together and, guess what? You'll be writing again.Rob Gregory Brownehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11952008139132652259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137534568556732472006-01-17T15:49:00.000-06:002006-01-17T15:49:00.000-06:00"So who was Holly's baby's daddy?"Her father, Jeb...."So who was Holly's baby's daddy?"<BR/><BR/>Her father, Jeb.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137531934183809612006-01-17T15:05:00.000-06:002006-01-17T15:05:00.000-06:00So who was Holly's baby's daddy?So who was Holly's baby's daddy?Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137530499539847712006-01-17T14:41:00.000-06:002006-01-17T14:41:00.000-06:00Years ago as a young reporter who'd been at work a...Years ago as a young reporter who'd been at work a couple weeks I overhead a conversation between another new reporter and the editor.<BR/><BR/>It went something like this.<BR/><BR/>Editor: "Where's the story?" <BR/>New guy: "I'm trying. I have a little writer's block."<BR/>Editor: "Would you like to lose your job?"<BR/><BR/>Since overhearing that, writer's block hasn't been an issue with me.Clayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16133910811642081098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137529111833742692006-01-17T14:18:00.000-06:002006-01-17T14:18:00.000-06:00I don't believe in writer's block per se, but I do...I don't believe in writer's block per se, but I do believe in distractions. And stress. And anxiety, and other things that can lead to mental constipation.<BR/><BR/>I came from a design background, and the same thing applies. <BR/><BR/>But as a mysterious muse-repellant <I>thing</I> that rolls in and prevents you from working, I think that's an excuse.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137528796852660162006-01-17T14:13:00.000-06:002006-01-17T14:13:00.000-06:00Congrats on FMAM.Almost everything I write involve...Congrats on FMAM.<BR/><BR/>Almost everything I write involves thought and pre-planning. I outline my novels. I plot out mysteries before I begin. Most of the twists and turns were known by me before I put pen to paper.<BR/><BR/>But my blog post is about writer's block, and how to beat it.<BR/><BR/>To do that, just let the characters tell you what to do next. You can add complexity while editing, or do more serious structure planning once the dam is broken.<BR/><BR/>When people write about whatever strikes their fancy, the story is usually crap.<BR/><BR/>But when you're constipated, crap is welcome.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137528446365655692006-01-17T14:07:00.000-06:002006-01-17T14:07:00.000-06:00I believe in muses.I don't believe in writer's blo...I believe in muses.<BR/><BR/>I don't believe in writer's block. <BR/><BR/>Most writers I know who write like plumbers (or Jerry Springer) work, well, it shows in their writing. <BR/><BR/>You can do your job and be a craftsman, and STILL have <I>art</I> and <I>creativity</I> and <I>magic</I> - without wandering in a "blocked" fog, or waiting and waiting until it comes to you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1137527762604647052006-01-17T13:56:00.000-06:002006-01-17T13:56:00.000-06:00Joe, a month ago I would've agreed with this 100%....Joe, a month ago I would've agreed with this 100%. Now I only agree with it 92.7%. The reason for the drastic drop? I just wrote my first Mystery story.<BR/><BR/>The story took a lot more effort on my part to make sure the events and turns lined up and made sense than any story I'd written before. I guess the idea of just running with a vague idea and letting the characters tell the story seems more difficult in this genre. <BR/><BR/>I know you'll probably disagree with me, and I hope you do. I'd like to hear your thoughts about the difference between writing in a genre that requires a tighter plot as opposed to... say... a Horror story about zombies.<BR/><BR/>BTW, FMAM took my Mystery story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com