"I
write when the spirit moves me," William Faulkner once said. "And the
spirit moves me every day."
I
love this saying by Faulkner. It’s one of the best saying I know on how to deal
with that Writer’s Block. As a writer, I meet those blocks sometimes and it’s frustrating
when you stare at your computer screen or paper but you just don’t know what
word or sentence would follow. Then you might feel like any sentence you force
into the work would kill the whole manuscript.
Writers,
writing instructors, agents, editors always say, ‘Do not edit while writing
your first draft.’
I
believe them. And I stick to that rule. No. I stick to that guideline. Writing
and editing at the same time is hard work. I think it screws a work. If it doesn’t
screw the work, then the writer is bound to spend more time on that project.
And when the writer thinks he/she is beating the time, that’s when the block
come.
I
dread writer’s block like I dread going to hell. For me, writer’s block means I’m
stuck in one place and making no progress. I hate it when I make no progress in
something I hope to be a success.
I
hardly get hit by writer’s blocks because I try hard to avoid them. But
sometimes, they’re just unavoidable. My blocks come especially when I’m in a
descriptive scene. Some writers excel well in descriptions, others don’t.
Honestly,
I think I’m among the latter.
When
describing a scene, I try my best to put myself into that scene so I’d be able
to capture the sights, the colors, the smell, and the sounds. I don’t always
have problems with the smell and the sounds. However, sometimes I do have
problems with the sights and colors. And without the sights and colors, you cannot
fully pull your readers into a scene, especially a new environment they haven’t
come across in the book.
The
funny part about this is that I think I’m pretty good in another aspect.
Another aspect that fully involves sight and colors.
I’m
a lover of artworks, graphic pictures especially. I think I’m among those
readers that fall in love with awesome book covers. If I like a book cover, I
like the book. Even though the content is trash.
As
a kid in secondary school, I was good
in putting good and colorful images on blank papers.
Was good?
Yes.
To be sincere, I don’t think I’m much of a good drawer again. I left drawing to
concentrate on writing and music.
But
I still draw awesome stuffs though.
How?
Well.
I have to say thanks for computer. With computer software, I can easily take
this picture:
and
turn it to this drawing:
It
looks just like stuff done with a pencil.
What
does this have to do with my writer’s block or difficulty to add colors and sights
to some scenes?