Mounting phone bills. That bitchy friend who raised her eyebrows when I announced was going to be a Great Novelist in grade ten. Pure fatigue.
Though I call it Writer’s Block, the forces keeping my from sitting down at the computer and working on my manuscript are more akin to a mosh pit of baby hippos than a single object with smooth sides and 90 degree angles.
The good news is that according to Lynn Coady, winner of the 2013 Giller Prize, sometimes all it takes to battle through the tangle of demands and doubt that keeps us from writing, is some pixie dust.
Speaking on the genisis of her award-winning collection, Hellgoing, Coady explained that, “after the Giller nomination in 2011, [she] thought – ‘Gotta get a book out there, you have to capitalize on that momentum’… and had writer’s block, and…felt really stuck… but [she] was writing short stories and [she] was having fun with them…, so [she] thought, we’ll just throw these all together and we’ll see what happens (source)’”
Smile. Find that spark. And then use the bastard to burn down the rest of that creative-constricting jungle.
Yes, I think I will give that try.
I love this post and so often, feel the same way. In my life, I always hoped I could generate a novel or become some fabulous traveling writer akin to Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, or any other of the amazing ExPat writers of the roaring 20’s. That being said, with little work published, I too feel bogged down by the moshpit! The wording is excellent and I can’t wait to get home to read more of your writing! This one spoke to me, one writer hopeful to another. 🙂
Thanks Maine Mama, I have been getting a lot of query rejections lately–so much to the point that I consider a successful day as one that I don’t get a Literary Dear John–so it’s really great to have some positive feedback. Thanks so much! I can’t wait to check out your blog.