Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Writer's block the true makings of a writer

I used to sing in my church choir and during a workshop the worship leader expressed his views on what makes a musician a musician and the importance of music. To him, the gifted musician, music is life itself, music is everything. To me, although music is an important part of life and I cannot imagine the world without it, it’s not everything.

To me, writing is everything. Where would we be without writing? Can you picture a society without the written word; we’d still be back in the Stone Age. So what makes a writer a writer? Everyone who puts thoughts to paper is a writer. Aren’t they?

I thought of all the cliques I could say about writing. Write what you know, the creative side of all of us, the voices in our heads that have to come out. The story that must be told, the call to write, blah, blah, blah. These things that are all true but I think what truly makes a writer is writer’s block.

If you’ve never experienced writer’s block then I don’t believe that you are truly a writer. Writer’s block is a write of passage (pun intended) much like getting your license or prom or turning twenty one. The moments in our lives that mark time. Much like writer’s block. “I haven’t written in a week, a month, a year.”

All kidding aside writing is embedded deep in my soul and if anyone watched the Jaycee Lee Dugard interview recently, Jaycee indicated that keeping a journal and penciling thoughts to paper helped her cope and keep her sanity. To her writing was probably life itself.

In the police station, someone asked her what her name was and she could not speak it. They suggested she write her name and she wrote Jaycee Lee Dugard. She said in the moment she wrote her name, a piece of who she was came flooding back. Writing became her freedom.

I try to write everyday but we all know that life interferers and I’ve even experienced writer’s block from time to time. But when I write, I always play music much to the amusement of my old worship leader.


the following video is a little long but great...




-Sheila J. Goodwin

4 comments:

Judith Ashley said...

Wow! Sheila - Great technical addition to your post. I missed the Jaycee Lee Dugard interview and am glad you shared the piece about writing and her sanity. Many people have used writing to help them through the dark times. Perhaps not as dark as her's (thankfully) but dark nonetheless.

Writers block is an interesting subject. I do have times when I don't write for a variety of reasons but I don't think of it as 'writer's block' because I'm capable of sitting down and writing, I'm just not - for now. And then I will again.

Paty Jager said...

So far, knock on wood,, I haven't had a full blown writer's block. I've written myself to a stop and had to rethink and mull it over before I could go any farther, but I've never been at a loss for words or inspiration.

Sarah Raplee said...

Learning what process works for me helps me keep the words flowing.

Enjoyed your post, Sheila!

Tam Linsey said...

Ugh!!! The dreaded word! Like "MacBeth" to actors! Shhhhhhh!
Seriously, writer's block is a normal part of writing - it is when my inner editor gets on a bullhorn and tells me all my ideas are worthless. I like the music idea - maybe it would drown out that voice.