>I'm sure I will mangle the original, but Ed Bryant (those of you who
>know him, know that a Truer Wryter Nivver Hath Beene) said once:
>"Writer's Block is like a big English sheepdog with matted fur and
>bad breath, who will come and sit on your chest one day while you're
>not looking. You can struggle and yell all you want, but nothing
>will get him to move. Remember, this is a BIG DOG."

This is probably a stupid thing to say on my part -- though it certainly
wouldn't be the first time -- but I don't believe in writer's block. When a
person says they have writer's block, what it invariably means, in my
experience, is:

1) they're just plain tired of writing and need a reason to stop for a while
instead of admitting they're bushed, which is a perfectly reasonable
justification...

2) they're afraid that they won't ge able to top or equal their previous
work...

3) there's something else going on in their lives that needs addressing.

I've been writing nonstop since I was 17, which puts me at about 28 years, day
in and day out, 7 days a week. I've never had writer's block. If I ever *did*
get it, I have enough notes on other projects -- books, TV shows, movies,
plays, whatever -- to sustain me for the next 20 years.

So no, I don't believe in writer's block. I *do* believe that writers who feel
that they have writer's block need to look at what else in their lives is
blocking ujp the river. The river flows all the time; we just need to get out
of the way from time to time or it gets muddied up.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
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