Replying simply to the original post: It is my opinion that there is no such thing as "writer's block". Everyone has trouble at some stages of writing, it is natural when you are doing something such as writing, but it is not a "block". I have found that during difficult stages in my writing, it is best to just push on and make yourself write even if you don't really feel like it, you can always go back and change bits later if you don't like what you wrote. But you can't rely on "inspiration" all the time, a lot of writing is grueling and is difficult, and you need to learn to deal with that. ;-) If you are truely stuck and find yourself just sitting there writing absolutely nothing, try and clear your head and take your mind off it for a few hours - go for a walk or something ;-)
Frankly, I have no idea what we're talking about anymore, and I have no idea why I said that. I guess what I meant is that every time you read a book, it shouldn't change, and you shouldn't expect it to change. Children are impressionable. If they read something and like what they read, they model their entire lives and mindsets around that thing. (which is precisely why Harry Potter should be moved from the children's section in the library. And I'm glad to hear that Rowling knows the rating of her own book). I know what you mean. Books shouldn't have a predictable ending (besides children's books). Though, I did know that none of the three MCs in the seventh book was going to die, including Harry, I just didn't know how Rowling was going to pull that off. But that's part of it too. You can know how it's going to end (after all, who's going to write a book where nothing whatsoever changed and everything descends into darkness, besides Shakespeare?), just not how the writer is going to reach that end. I love Matilda. It could almost be an example of a comedy (i.e., starting out with an ideal situation, then things descend into tragedy, and at the end, rise back up into a good situation. Not many people know the real definition of comedy). In certain ways, bad TV and bad books can be equally damaging, but I understand what you're saying. We were talking about adult fiction, I just don't know how we got off that topic.. My family says this about me all the time: She can talk herself in circles. I think this is one of those situations.
You contradict yourself. Wouldn't a problem or a jam, as it were, in writing be just the same as a block? Writer's block is just another name for any sort of problem a writer has. Lack of inspiration, too many thoughts, getting tired, tired of your story, tired of writing. In my case it was lack of something my brain is used to when I'm writing: my music. I know, with me, that when I'm trying to write something and I can't think of something to write, I look up solutions for writers block. I always have and always will. For some reason it helps me until I can figure out some solution that works for me (I always wind up thinking those wackos when I get the really weird solutions, like standing on your head for ten minutes). Or just reading something else helps. Whatever.
No. No such thing as "Writers block". It is no different from any difficult stages in any work when you are starting to lack inspriation, enthusiasm or whatever it is you need to work, but just because it's writing doesn't make the problem special or different and warrant it's own title - "writer's block". You may disagree, but as far as i am concerned that is the way it is. Only way to deal with problems like that is to just push on and do it anyway, already explained that in my other post. ;-)
Though if you want to get technical it is in the dictionary...here is what WRITER'S BLOCK apparently means. writ·er’s block situation when writer cannot write: an inability on the part of a writer to start a new piece of writing or continue an existing one Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
I think anything having to do with writers warrants its own title, problem or not. In any case, any problem could be considered a block, and if it's a writer who's having the problem, you can call that problem a "writer's" block. Don't mind me. I like to argue.
So, there is such a thing as writer's block. It has it's own dictionary reference and everything. Though, using that logic, one could successfully say that 'aint' is a word. *Shivers* That's a sad commentary in and of itself.
I'd like to point that four tangents have inadvertantly been created in this thread, and they all became secants.
HEY!!! I'm from Atlanta, and A'INT IS A WORD! As is y'all. I can barely get through a conversation without using them.
Yeah, to you southerners. Goodness... It's as if.. never mind. What is a'int made up of, anyway? Y'all.. I can some what understand. But a'int?
I believe it's "are not" with a bit of a twang to it. The sentence "Them ain't nothin'" would be "them are not nothing" or, more correctly, "they are not anything" I dunno, I just use it as a substitute for aren't or isn't.
According to nearly every reference I've been able to dig up on short notice, ain't is a contraction of am not, but all the etymological scholrs seem stumped as to how one gets from am not to ain't. This web page is one of the more comprehensive articles I've found, although it has a mess of embedded remnants of formatting tags from the original version, making it a bit difficult to read.
My english teacher always told us aint aint word. Well one day, little DJ Rogers looked it up in the dictionary, and put it in her face: "There it is teach, aint! right between aight and aye!" Low and behold, its a dictionary of Slang terms.
Writer's block. The way I see it, character and plot are either pre-developed or develop as the writing progresses, so...the only thing blocking the writer writing, is the writer's need to evade the actual writing. I think it's an emotional problem - being too close to the material under development. If you can write off the cuff about anything other than what you think you're blocked on, then you're not blocked - you're just not ready to write about what matters. The only real solution is to dive in there and get it out of you. Then you can exhale and review. Thinking you're blocked because you can't be bothered, isn't being blocked. It's called, Laziness.
Did I do that? EDIT: HA ha... I just realized, *Steve Ircle voice* "Did I do that?" er.... never mind.
Way to get back on topic. What if your mind is used to a certain stimulus when it does something, and when you try to do that thing without that stimulus, you can't proceed because your mind isn't able (or willing) to continue. Would you consider that laziness? Or addiction? Say a person always does their math homework with Mozart playing (hypothetically, though Mozart does help your math skills, but that's like listening to it while you sleep help, not doing homework help). This person goes somewhere without his/her Mozart CD and attempts to do his/her homework. He/She finds that when he/she tries a problem that was easy before, it is suddenly immensely complicated. This has to be a block of some kind, right? Not laziness, because the mind isn't used to doing things without that music, or stimulus, or whatever. That was a whole new rabbit trail, I'm sorry. But it was still a little on topic. Perhaps a rabbit trail going in the right direction?
Huh? Sorry, think I tripped over your rabbit Don't get me wrong, I'm not sayng 'you're' lazy. No, I'm speaking in general, knowing many writers who spend valuable time procrastinating and developing distractions to fend of the oft-dreaded moment of getting back into the work. This includes jumping from one project to another, often never developing or finishing. Being a writer doesn't necessarily mean you 'like' it. No, in my experience, I 'have' to write. That's it, and even though I also prefer writing to classical sounds, if they're not available, or if my environment is different to my usual writing one, I just grit my teeth and get down to it. Or, I take a deep breath and go for a nice walk along the lake near me. Swans are so nice to look at Then I get back to 'work'.
