One of the questions I am occasionally asked is, "how do I deal with writer’s block?"
Well, the shorter answer is, "I don’t."
I address the issue of "creativity blockage" in one of the chapters in my book "Principles of Applied Stupidity" … and since it is so germane to the point I will embellish that chapter here . .
To me, the whole idea of having writer’s block is the same as having talkers block. And oh, how I wish some people would have talkers block. If you are afraid of what someone might think, you shut your mouth, but if you remove that filter there is no problem. If you encounter a writer’s block, it is my opinion that it is in fact an artificial self-induced block to your naturally flowing creativity.
There is one alternate form of writer’s block, which is really just a kind of improper impatience. Sometimes it takes a while for ideas to germinate in your subconscious mind. And it would be silly for a farmer to sit around after he planted a whole field with corn seed to think that nothing was happening, when in fact all sorts of stuff is happening, you just can’t see it right now. The creative process of the mind is very similar.
But when it comes to actual writer’s block, my theory of it is that some people have too many filters in place. They have ideas, but they are, in fact, "blocking" them. I suspect that most people think that somehow some outside entity is preventing their ideas from flowing to them, but I don’t buy it. It’s a learned behavior, and it comes from years and years of conformity training. If you are afraid of doing something really different, you will endlessly take your best ideas and edit them to death until there is nothing fresh left in them.
One of my favorite sayings, and I came up with it myself: "When the going gets tough, lower your standards." Writer’s block means you are refusing to accept the ideas that are flowing to you right now. So . . . Don’t do that. Don’t prejudge them. Sometimes they just need a little love and attention and appreciation to turn into something beautiful. So can you accept an idea that you have never heard of before? And believe in it even if everyone else thinks it’s idiotic? Most people can’t.
Someone once said that if we taught sex education the way we teach math and science the human race would be extinct in 50 years. The notion that we need to teach or encourage creativity is, in my view, a denial of how hard we work to suppress it. If you leave it alone it will happen all by itself.
When I was a kid we were so poor that my number one toy to play with was my own imagination. Some of the most creative people I know come from "disadvantaged" backgrounds… this leads me to genuinely and earnestly believe that you don’t need to teach creativity. When I look at just how unimaginative some highly educated people are, however, I do believe we need to teach conformity less.
Because I don’t actively filter my ideas, a lot of people think I am crazy, obnoxious, "on something," or all three . . . Well, they are entitled to their opinion. Not caring what other people think, and the many consequences stemming therefrom, is the price I pay for creative freedom . . . So anyway, sorry folks, for good or for ill, I don’t have writer’s block.
© Justin Locke
Some brief news notes:
I will be speaking at
Backpages books in Waltham (MA) on Veterans’ Day, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. Free!
Also, many thanks to Ed and Barbara King for inviting me how to speak in Northboro yesterday! I had a great time, and I will try and post a video excerpt from the talk as soon as I can.
Also, Fitness Fairy Tales is up and running on CD baby!
http://cdbaby.com/cd/justinlocke2
Hard copies will be available soon through my Café press site (but you can get Your Real Men Don’t Rehearse T-shirts now!)
http://www.cafepress.com/JustinLocke
at right is a pic of Bill, the guy who suggested I do the t-shirts! thanks Bill, you look fab !
