Writer's Block

"One reason I don't suffer Writer's Block is that I don't wait on the muse, I summon it at need." ~Piers Anthony

"The number one secret of being a successful writer is this: marry an English major." ~Stephen Ambrose

"Any fool can write a novel ..." ~J. G. Ballard


You may not have noticed, but I haven't posted in about three weeks. It's not because I have nothing to post about. No, this family has plenty of fodder. It's that I couldn't construct acceptable paragraphs with which to share that material. I have an unwritten rule that I only want to post stuff that ... wait. It's unwritten for a reason. Nevermind.

Anyway, I am a little bit of a perfectionist (okay, a lot of a perfectionist) and I couldn't string together words to make a single sentence that worked for me.

I definitely had writer's block.

So, what's the best thing to cure writer's block? How about creating a 50,000 word novel (approximately 175 pages) in 30 days?

Yeah, that's what I thought, too.

But the dry-witted coordinators over at www.nanowrimo.org won me over. As they put it, "[NaNoWriMo values] enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft. ... Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly."


I decided that is just what I need: a reason to write junk; a method by which I can foil my own perfectionistic tendencies; an insane goal that will steal my sleep. You know, 'cause I have nothing else to do.

I registered my intent last Thursday.

I am just shy of 10,000 words.

But it occurs to me now that if I make one of my characters blog about writer's block, I can copy and paste this entry and add 276 words to my total. Yeah, so, um, excuse me. I have a novel to write. See you in December.