WAITING FOR THE CLICK

~

Writing is both a joyful and daunting art. At certain points of the process you can feel like you're on a cloud, whiling your way through the process with the greatest of ease. There are times when a book feels like it's writing itself - as if you're only there to manually throw the words down as someone whispers them into your ear. There are those times when a character is so real to you, so physically in the room while you're writing their dialogue... Those times when you're reading over what you've written and an interesting, unique, and profound theme that you'd not even thought about exposes itself in glittering detail throughout the entire work. Those times when someone who's read your work tells you that what you've done is important - that you somehow enriched even a small part of their life by writing it...

Those are the good times. Those are the reasons we do it.

And then there are the daunting aspects. The minutiae of it all, the nitpicking - going over every last word and detail to make sure that you've written what you wanted to write. The agonizing pressure to write something worthwhile, to write something new, to write something that takes what you're doing to the next level. The sheer time involved to get it right. The needless yet constant worry that the ideas won't be there tomorrow. The need for a life outside of writing, and living with the knowledge that life outside of writing detracts from writing. Then there's The Block.

For me, that last one is just about the worst. You've heard of Writer's Block to be sure, but there are as many different kinds of Writer's Block as there are authors in the world or stories in the history of man. WB - for brevity's sake - is a catch-all term for anything that impedes the process - scratch and/or amend that to read - anything internal that impedes the process. It's a Deficiency in your mind with a capital 'D', and there's a million and one ways to get around it... at least that's what all the Self Help Writing Blogs say.

My way of getting around it is simple - (or should I say, simply agonizing...): I ignore it. I refuse to accept it. I deny WB's very existence... often at my own peril.

What I mean by that is instead of going on to something else, (as those all-knowing Writer's Blogs suggest) instead of focusing my efforts elsewhere, I'll instead persist with the present project, writing line after line and paragraph after paragraph of complete and utter drivel. In some cases, I've continued this for days, knowing all the while that everything I was putting down would eventually have to be gutted - completely rewritten - if it was ever to have the tiniest chance of ever, ever seeing the light of day. And why do I do this instead switching to a different project? Part of it, I think, is that when WB happens, it infects your mind into thinking that you can't write well on any story - at least that's how it is for me - so what's the point of switching to another one? Another part of it, and this is probably the main reason - at least I like to think that it is - is that I'm just too damn stubborn. WB infuriates me to the point that I begin to think of it as a struggle that must be won at any cost - a failure to do so will mean that the fundamental ability to accomplish what I love doing most will be sacrificed.

Is it as dramatic as all that? It certainly is.

And then, at some point, after trying to think my way around the Block, perhaps for days, perhaps for a few weeks, the clouds part and that particular obstacle that had been throwing me, that particular concept that has proven as illusive as the end of a rainbow, becomes clear. There's this Operatic "Aaaaaah" moment that CLICKS in your mind, and the Block is over. It becomes a figment. A vague literary concept that you can't really remember ever experiencing because you are a confident, influential, and above all capable writer that really doesn't have to deal with that sort of nonsense...

That moment, that Click, when the Block ends, well my friends, that's another of those wondrous, joyful moments in the Writing Game. That's another one of those rushes, and I'm oh so happy to convey to each and every one of you, (or both of you) that the Writing Gods on High blessed me with just such a moment on Friday afternoon.

Things are good.

Things are Clicking.

BTW: CHECK THE OFFICIAL site, (www.scottfalkner.com) on Monday, July 21st for a very special treat. (Here's a hint: ? ? ?)