Writer’s Block

I visited Aerogramme Writers’ Studio today to take a look at their feature on Writer’s Block. Not that I’m suffering. I just spent two days in Chehalis, however, and then Sunday waylaid me with its usual demands. So, no writing for three days. And that meant that this morning was hard. Finally, I turned the quarter-hour glass upside down and told myself that surely, SURELY I could read aloud from the manuscript for 15 minutes. Just 15 minutes!

Two hours later, I had made it through the first fifty pages of my manuscript, and I had rewritten several pages of a later chapter.

I left my desk with an assignment to rewrite this line: Pearl gathered her courage. What the hell does that mean? What did I mean when I wrote it down?

Meanwhile, here’s Aerogramme’s quote from writer Jennifer Egan. Click on the link above to read the quotes from 11 other writers.

“I haven’t had trouble with writer’s block. I think it’s because my process involves writing very badly. My first drafts are filled with lurching, clichéd writing, outright flailing around. Writing that doesn’t have a good voice or any voice. But then there will be good moments. It seems writer’s block is often a dislike of writing badly and waiting for writing better to happen.” ― Jennifer Egan

We’ve been having a bout of spectacular weather, lightning and thunder, a brief power outage. Lots of rain. It makes a fine sound on the roof, nice to write by.  Especially to write very badly.