As it turns out, the proverbial writer’s block is a thing. A true documented condition with its own bizarre symptoms and devilish consequences. While I’m aware it exists, it’s comforting to be reminded when I grabble with editing challenges.
I know the process: while certain words/sentences/paragraphs/chapters need to go, others remain and welcome revisions. Easier said than done. Why? A formidable force of nature known as Resistance hovers around the corner and waits for its turn to take control.
Frozen in time, frozen in mind. When this happens, the block arrives. However long Resistance lingers is entirely up to me. It could last five minutes, five hours, or God forbid, five days.
I didn’t coin the term. Best-selling author Steven Pressfield (The Legend of Bagger Vance, and more) dedicates nearly 170 pages to analyzing Resistance in The War of Art. He warns creative souls that an intimidating and intricate war of the mind awaits along the path to completing a work of merit, whether it’s a novel, a painting, a new invention, or even a business venture.
Everything, seemingly everything, Gets.In.The.Way. Of finishing the project. Pressfield warns writers against blaming everyone else in their lives for failing to power through roadblocks. He writes, “Resistance feeds on fear.” But it’s not the fear of failure; it’s really the fear of success.
My favorite quotation from Pressfield’s book is as follows: “The working artist banishes from her world all sources of trouble. She harnesses the urge for trouble and transforms it in her work.” So very reassuring.
I am not alone. A quick scroll – through Twitter threads – reveals writers obsessed with Resistance. They add an amusing gif and solicit suggestions on how to beat it back. Others post their angst on Instagram, highlighting an artistic image of a cluttered workspace, complete with stained coffee mugs. All designed to speak volumes about their pain.
No matter the media, as writers share their blockades with others, it helps. And if they accept that writer’s block is natural, one of human nature’s calling cards, reassurance abounds. They’re no longer alone, either, in battling back Resistance to success.
In these remaining ten days of NaNoWriMo, if you’ve got a story within you, let it out. Banish the distraction. Kick self-doubt to the curb. Write each day. Stare down Resistance. Finish the race.
