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Friday, September 11, 2009

Friday's child


I had coffee with a writer who, for as long as I've known her, has taken the process of writing much too seriously. She waxed poetical about semi-mystical notions of creative energy and philosophical meanderings. "The blank page terrifies me," she said, tapping her forefinger nervously on the side of her cup. "I think I have writer's block."

"Maybe thinking too much about the process is causing it," I said mildly. "It's not that complicated. You just sit down and write."

"But how do I start if my mind is a blank?"

"If your mind is a blank, then you don't have anything to say. You have to know what you want say before you can actually write anything."

She gave me a look. I finished my espresso. The dogs barked, and the caravan moved on.

8 comments:

  1. I just found your blog through the Graphics Fairy--I really enjoyed your post, and have been having fun visiting here--Bon weekend!

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  2. I agree - I always feel that if you wait for the Muse, you will wait forever - and a blank page or screen is far too threatening, so the thing is to write something or anything, and somehow it will all flow from that start - even if you have to erase those initial sentences from the final piece. But for me a lot of it seems to spring fully-formed from my subconscious - I don't seem to have articulated it anywhere until I actually write it down!

    Pomona x

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  3. The mind is never really ...blank. It's always full of all kinds of 'crap' ! Maybe she just doesn't have any ideas up there in her head!

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  4. I definitely agree with Pam. I know that my mind is always going from one thing to another. Have a great weekend.

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  5. Hi darling,Have been on a long extending vacation from on child to another.Then I went down to the beach for a few weeks and stayed at my sisters. I have another grand baby on the way!

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  6. Loved your post.
    Very descriptive.
    I got it!

    When I have something to write, I cannot NOT write.

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  7. I love this post Colette. Such a funny lady and your douche of common sense. I couldn't agree more, if you don't have anything to say, you cannot write it down. Nothing more simple than that.

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  8. LOL I agree too. Just write, people will either like it and read it or they won't. She is defiantly thinking far too much about it. I always wonder if a writers block is the same as a artists block, for example when i@m depressed I can't paint anything that I like. Colours seem to somehow become muddy but I try anyway. What is a writers block anyway!!!!! What exactly does that mean. Anyway I have waffled. But only because this is something I have been thinking about lots, as in artists block thingy he heeeee

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