(no subject)
14/9/13 21:14I kind of want to kick everyone who says "There's no such thing as writer's block."
There's an important point to be made that if you want to have a career as a writer, then you do need a certain amount of output, and getting that much output means you had better be willing to write when it's inconvenient for you, when it's hard to find the time, when you don't feel inspired.
But I do think that good writing means allowing yourself to be vulnerable. And everyone has times when they are too hurt or too scared, and they tense up in the wrong places, and -- even if you can force yourself to write from a place like that, it's not a great place to be writing from.
And I hate how much of this discourse is tied up with notions of masculinity, like if you get hurt by a rejection or a bad review, or you're sad or scared, then really you just need someone to slap you on the shoulder and tell you to be grow up and be a man.
I blame Hemingway.
There's an important point to be made that if you want to have a career as a writer, then you do need a certain amount of output, and getting that much output means you had better be willing to write when it's inconvenient for you, when it's hard to find the time, when you don't feel inspired.
But I do think that good writing means allowing yourself to be vulnerable. And everyone has times when they are too hurt or too scared, and they tense up in the wrong places, and -- even if you can force yourself to write from a place like that, it's not a great place to be writing from.
And I hate how much of this discourse is tied up with notions of masculinity, like if you get hurt by a rejection or a bad review, or you're sad or scared, then really you just need someone to slap you on the shoulder and tell you to be grow up and be a man.
I blame Hemingway.