L.E. Modesitt Jr.
There are two general causes for "writer's block" -- either personal psychological factors or writing-related problems. I'm not about to go into dealing with the first cause because I'm not a therapist. As for writing-related causes, my own belief is that most of the problem lies in either a conflict between what is already written and what the writer wants to have happen or in the fact that the writer doesn't really know enough about the world/culture/characters to extrapolate what comes next.
Personally, I don't believe in writer's block, per se. If you're a professional writer, you get paid to write. I don't think many of us would even think of hiring a doctor who got doctor's block, or an attorney who got attorney's block, etc., but I'll admit that there are times when my writing has threatened to grind to a halt. Once I put aside a half-written book for almost a year and wrote two others before coming back to it. Now, for me, this is possible because I've never signed a contract until at least the first draft of a book was completed. That removes a certain degree of pressure.
The way that I've found most useful for coping with writing slowdowns or stoppages is to skip ahead and write what comes after the part giving me difficulty. That may necessitate some later extra re-writing, but it's still faster than doing nothing.
And sometimes, just taking a break and then taking a walk is useful for me. That's also recommended by others because increased physical activity increases blood flow.
Personally, I don't believe in writer's block, per se. If you're a professional writer, you get paid to write. I don't think many of us would even think of hiring a doctor who got doctor's block, or an attorney who got attorney's block, etc., but I'll admit that there are times when my writing has threatened to grind to a halt. Once I put aside a half-written book for almost a year and wrote two others before coming back to it. Now, for me, this is possible because I've never signed a contract until at least the first draft of a book was completed. That removes a certain degree of pressure.
The way that I've found most useful for coping with writing slowdowns or stoppages is to skip ahead and write what comes after the part giving me difficulty. That may necessitate some later extra re-writing, but it's still faster than doing nothing.
And sometimes, just taking a break and then taking a walk is useful for me. That's also recommended by others because increased physical activity increases blood flow.
More Answered Questions
Elaine Hicks
asked
L.E. Modesitt Jr.:
I read somewhere that you said you like to write your worlds and societies with an understanding of how things came to be that way throughout history, not just as a point-in-time, this is how things are, way. I was curious if you plan to provide a glimpse into how the alectors in Corean Chronicles reached their peak? Because all we ever see is their society/race declining and declining with each world-leap.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more