Writer's Block

The irony of writing about writer's block is not lost on me. The best advice I've ever read is Gail Carriger's article from 2014 that addresses writer's block. To summarize: Write something. Anything. It doesn't have to be for your current project. If it's really bad afterwards, delete it.

But write something.

Case in point: here I am on my own blog, trying to take her advice. There are many days I feel I have nothing particularly interesting or clever to say, and this is one of them. I've been beat to shit in the last week, and I'm staring at the blank space at the end of my ongoing "Altered" ODT file, and all I can do is shake my fist impotently and curse the name of Astin Fell. Right now, he's probably throwing his hands up somewhere and asking, "What did I do?" It's not his fault, of course. But that doesn't stop me.

The problem with writer's block---to me, at least---is that writing truly is a holy concept, no matter how much people sneer at that. The muses sing their perfect ideas to us on Earth, we pick it up as inspiration, and then we do our best to get it in front of people in a palatable form. The problems start when we insert a middle step on our own. If the muses are kind enough to provide inspiration, we sure as shit don't want to fuck it up afterwards.

And that's wrong.

Think about it from a rational perspective: you can never honor your muse(s) if you don't write. You won't find that perfect alignment of the stars and tectonic plates that will bring forth your inner genius if you aren't writing when it happens. Even if it all goes horribly pear shaped, no one has to see your secret shame. Lock it in the attic somewhere. Hire someone to "take care of the problem" so you don't have to get your hands dirty. There's a metaphor about editors in there somewhere. I'm too lazy to find it.

The point is: Write! Don't care if it doesn't fit your current needs. Don't care about whether it comes from the gods' tongues to your ears, or whether it will ever be fit for human consumption, or even why the gods have their tongues in your ears right now. That's weird. Gods are weird. Don't be weird! Pick a spot and time and write whatever comes out of your head, good or bad. Do it long enough, and you'll get into a daily rhythm. And when the dam finally bursts? You'll be there. Typing or scribbling away.

Also, don't put your tongues in people's ears. I mean, you don't know what those things have heard, let alone where they've been.

So, yes. My incredibly helpful advice is that, when faced with writer's block, try writing. The subtext, however, is stop giving a fuck about what you're writing and just keep pounding dem keys until things start working again. (Just make sure you have the rubbish bin at the ready.)


Featured Music

Once Upon a Time (Siouxsie and the Banshees)

I'm going for the coveted triple eye roll this week: a band most people have actually heard of, an album that's been out forever, and a greatest hits compilation. Don't care. Familiarize yourself with Once Upon a Time if you haven't already, and reintroduce it to yourself if you have. It's hard to pick out any single song since they're all goddamn amazing, but Christine and Mirage are favorites of mine. Siouxsie Sioux has a talent for adding just enough rough edges to her captivating voice to keep you intrigued—and that's not even getting into the cleverly staggered rhythms and sonic experimentation of the band on the whole.

On a more selfish note, this album is becoming a major driving force behind "Altered." Astin's getting out of his small town and into a big city, and he's going to see a brand new side of the Other. If The Birthday Massacre painted an ethereal portrait of otherworldly night, Siouxsie and the Banshees is going to boot his ass straight into a city where weird stuff doesn't wait for nightfall.