Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Laura, St. Petersburg, FL on May 23, 2011:

Randy, these are truly word of wisdoms ... er, words of wisdom. I've battled with so-called "writer's block" many times, until I figured out that what I was labeling "writer's block" was simply an inability to come up with perfect copy in one sitting. Now, I just write what I can, even if it's just an informal outline of some sort, and worry about prettying it up later on. Amazing how quickly the words begin flowing once I get into it. Thanks for this!

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Your solution is excellent -- and falls right in line with my contention. Kudos! -rc

Posted by Barbara, Georgia on May 23, 2011:

Write on!

Posted by Geoff from Los Angeles on May 23, 2011:

This is wonderful and I fully agree. I have posted often on what I call the Myth of Writer's Block on my own blog, and teach it in my writing classes. If you do really feel stuck there are so many ways to prime the pump that there's no excuse. My advice is much like yours, write stream-of-consciousness if nothing else is there, even if it's just, "I hate this, Geoff is an idiot for suggesting it", etc. And write every day.

And, yes, get what you write in front of people! (I was going to put a random apostrophe in here somewhere, but figured people here don't know me well enough to get my humor.)

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Thank's! -rc

Posted by Tony in Japan on May 23, 2011:

I only write as a hobby, but I have a much more serious problem - waster's block. While I would like to spend much more time surfing the net or watching Youtube videos of cats falling off the sofa, I am just inundated with story ideas, and can't find the time to write them all down!

Seriously, though, if I ever do have a dry patch, I either go write something completely different, or just write anything even if I know it's not what I want to say, and then come back to rewrite/correct it later.

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You're more of a writer than you think, perhaps! Beginners often wonder "Where do I get ideas?!?", but "real" writers can't possibly follow up on all the ideas they have. -rc

Posted by Anthony in China on May 24, 2011:

To Tony in Japan: The internet does indeed offer a plethora of excuses for the budding writer not to write. I too am a hobby writer (more disturbingly I am also a 37 year old engineer who once worked for JPL) and also found the lure of the inane a sufficient distraction from practicing the art.

Then I moved to China. No YouTube. No Facebook. No Twitter. No excuses.

And people wonder why China is the economic powerhouse that it is.

And good writers never start a sentence with and.

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And why not?! -rc

Posted by Edie Dublin, PA USA on May 24, 2011:

I wholeheartedly agree. In over 25 years as a professional wordsmith, I have NEVER had writer's block. It comes from the awareness that I am also NEVER bored. I call it being frequently fascinated. There is always something to muse about and then communicate. As grammatically incorrect as it seems, I 'can't NOT write.' It is one of the first things I want to do when I wake up and when I can't sleep (like this morning), it becomes my soporific. It is like breathing. Am in the editing stages of my first best seller called The Bliss Mistress Guide To Transforming The Ordinary Into The Extraordinary. I write a daily blog for Beliefnet called The Bliss Blog. Thank you for your wisdom in this blog entry that a friend sent to me this morning.

Posted by Mike from Dallas on May 24, 2011:

I've heard of writer's block, but only in the context of one who is writing a novel. Even then, I'd suspect it's not so much of a "block" as an attempt to avoid banality.

Posted by Dustin, Ohio on May 24, 2011:

I contest this idea that there is no such thing as 'writer's block'. Though I get where it comes from. Mostly because the way to beat the block isn't to sit around not writing. It is to force yourself to write even if it isn't what you were trying to/wanting to write at that stage.

It is pretty much like any other 'block' you can get from trying too hard. I am sure everyone has had a moment where they 'knew' the answer or solution to something but they couldn't actually spit it out/do it until they picked up stopped focusing so much on that one detail. At which point it just hits you or at least tends to come more naturally.

Of course that doesn't mean go watch youtube videos. Yeah sure eventually the block will likely dissolve but meanwhile you don't get much done. Instead you should jump to a second project (if you have one) or skip/force the paragraph/scene you are on so that you can work on another. When writing a story you don't have to go from chapter 1 to chapter end nor does it have to be immediately 'perfect'. If Chapter 4 is giving you a problem you can always skip to chapter 6 or 7 or even chapter end. True, you may later need to revise some things, but hell you are going to be revising things as is.

So Writer's block does exist but it isn't a complete block it is merely a block of one idea, one scene, one paragraph, or the ilk. It is an instance where such just won't come out even close to right for you. And the harder you try to force that one idea/scene sometimes the worse it gets. You just need to move on and revisit it later.

But you are correct in that 'Writer's Block' is a stumbling stone for the amateur. The amateur writing for his/her own pleasure often does not force the issue and as such the block literally 'blocks' the entire work. For the Pro they force the issue and SOMETHING will be written. They may have to revise like they are possessed later, but they will put something down. And as such the block is more of an annoyance than anything else, that and it is merely part of writing.

No one is so blessed that everything they write is dipped in gold the first moment it is written. Eventually everyone will feel something like a block. It is the sign of a pro though to work regardless of the block. This is because the pro recognizes that revision, even serious revision is a naturally stage of writing.

This is actually the core of NaNoWriMo if memory serves. The amateur in general is too focused on perfection and as such they tend to forget that the goal is to entertain and/or inform. It doesn't have to be perfect, heck many published authors will openly admit that their novels are far from perfect! Let alone their first drafts of many ideas that went into said novels!

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NaNoWriMo -- the National Novel Writing Month -- is in November. -rc

Posted by Alisa, Florida on May 25, 2011:

Thank you so much for this blog about writer's block. So many times I have been dissatisfied with my writing, despite having so many ideas to write about. Now I understand that I can be a writer, I just have to do more of it. (I feel like slapping my forehead and saying, "Duh"). It's an obvious concept isn't it? After all, I have spent the last four years of my life studying music and voice and am now to the point where I recognize the vast improvements I have made and the skills I have aquired, but also how far I have yet to go to get past the point of being an amateur. Almost anyone can sing, but it takes a little talent and a lot of hard work to become a good singer. The same goes for writing.

Posted by Denise, Missouri on May 27, 2011:

I am a writer, and I agree, there is no such thing as "writer's block," but there is such a thing as getting to a block in the particular work you are doing. My remedy is to take a break. If that doesn't do it, then write about something else. That breaks through the block every time.

I put take a break in there first because you can run out of ideas because you need a break. It's a simple concept, but too many people fail to realize it. If you still are having trouble then it is probably because you are too focused on one thing and you need to relax. Writing about something else for awhile will do that nicely.

I have never had any problem with breaking "writer's block." My only problem is when the new thing I'm writing about is so interesting that I don't want to go back and finish the work I was on in the first place.