Breaking the Block

By Ian S. Bott

What writer hasn’t felt the desolate emptiness of the white page, mocking, and remaining stubbornly blank? Summoning words to fill that page can, at times, be an effortless flight of creativity. At other times, it feels like mental constipation.

Writer’s block fills writers with dread because it feels impassable, something we just have to accept and wait for inspiration to strike. But we needn’t be passive victims of writer’s block. We can strike back with a combination of self-awareness and a suitable kit of tools. Breaking the Block provides a collection of approaches to keep the words flowing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ian S. Bott
• Release date: Nov 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9780993724275

Ian S. Bott

I am a public servant by day, and a science fiction author by night when my dark side emerges to wreak murder and mayhem on unsuspecting imaginary worlds.I use my lifelong love of both science and art to bring new worlds to life for readers to escape to. Back in the real world, I escaped from Britain in 2004 but still miss proper pubs, pork pies, and real bacon.I now live in beautiful British Columbia with my wife, two children, and assorted pets.

Book preview

Breaking the Block

Ian S. Bott

Published by Dark Sky Press at Smashwords

Copyright 2019 Ian S. Bott

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

Sage looked up from his copy of The Daily Tweet and settled his spectacles more firmly on his beak. His old friend and bestselling author, Ernest Hummingbird, was behaving most strangely.

There he was again, slouching past the open door to Sage’s study, mopping his brow in a most theatrical way, heaving an exaggerated sigh, and ... really? ... was that a silk paisley cravat around his neck?

Sage blinked in disbelief and gazed through the doorway his friend had just passed.

Ernest appeared again, looking as if he’d just crossed the Sahara and climbed Mount Everest all in one afternoon. It’s official, he declared in his best Shakespearian thespian accent. "I am a writorrrr."

Of course you are. Sage snorted. You have a bestselling novel under your wing. Critical acclaim and all that.

Yes, but I’ve always felt a bit of a fraud up to now. But no longer. I am finally suffering—Ernest cleared his throat and struck a dramatic pose—"from writer’s block."

Sage hastily suppressed the urge to hoot in derision. "And you see that as a good thing?"

No, of course not! But it’s there all the same.

Sage frowned. So what are you doing about it? I trust you’re not simply giving in to it?

Far from it. Ernest looked pleased with himself. I’ve followed all sorts of wise advice from ... ahem ... fellow famous authors.

Sage tilted his head and waited for Ernest to continue.

Especially people like Stephen Kingfisher. Ernest sighed. Again. But nothing is working, so I just have to wander around feeling artistically miserable until the creative urge strikes again. He paused. "At last, I feel authentic."

Sage gave Ernest a stern look. "You do realize, don’t you, that there is no such thing as writer’s block?"

Writer’s block is not a thing

Now, that’s a rather odd statement to make. After all, with a few lucky exceptions most writers identify all too well with writer’s block. They can tell you how it feels, how real it is, and they all have a mountain of advice in their back pockets on how to deal with it.

More to the point, why would I write a booklet about something that doesn’t exist?

But picture this scene. I’ve been suffering from a raging high temperature for days. At first, I assumed it would simply pass in a day or two, given plenty of rest, hydration, and time to sort itself out. But it hasn’t, so I’ve decided to call on the doctor.

I’m shown into an examination room, and after a few minutes’ wait my doctor enters. Her gaze is fixed on her tablet, which presumably shows my medical details and why I’ve made this appointment. Without looking at me, she mutters to herself, Let’s see. High temperature. I’m going to start you on a course of antibiotics, recommend iron and vitamin supplements, a course of hormone replacement therapy ... probably won’t help but can’t do any harm ... and ... At this point she glances up from her tablet for the first time. Hmm, yes, to be on the safe side let’s take that left leg off. Below the knee. You’ll hardly notice it’s gone.

Question: what is your opinion of the quality of my medical care at this point?

Not good, you say? Why not? She’s prescribing lots of remedies, some of them sound expensive so they must be good.

Really? Still not impressed?

So, what do you think should have happened instead?

Oh? How about an examination? Some tests? Blood samples? Maybe, ya know, actually diagnosing the cause first?

The thing is, a high temperature can mean all sorts of things. Before you start trying to treat it, it helps to know what’s causing the high temperature in the first place.

In other words, the fever is not the disease, it’s simply a symptom.

My assertion is that, in a similar way, writer’s block is not a thing you can simply treat, it’s a symptom of something deeper amiss in your writing. To break the block, you need to do some digging to get at the underlying cause and treat that.

Chapter outlines

I am not in the business of giving out writing advice. Getting words onto the page is a creative process and creative processes are inherently subjective, so advice that works for one person may be creative hemlock to another. Giving advice sounds like, Do this, and you will have success. The unspoken—and, in my opinion, dangerous—subtext is that if you don’t find success by following this advice, then the problem is you, not the advice.

I say nuts to that idea, so I don’t give advice. Instead, I offer a range of tools for you to try. Embrace what works, discard what doesn’t, and build