Do Professional Bloggers Get Writer’s Block?
Thursday, March 6th, 2008I had to laugh. An article in a popular article directory said professional writers get writer’s block for years:
One of the very many obstacles I see people face when trying to really commit to building a small empire of “big buck blogs” is the common obstacle of simply running out of ideas. The very best writers in the world often get writers block for years, so if you are stuck trying to think of inventive ways to restate the same basic points in YOUR niche…you are not alone…
What a riot. I’m going to have to call Stephen King and ask him if he gets writer’s block.
I’ve been a writer for most of my life. I’ve never had writer’s block. Never. And I’m not exaggerating. The most skeptical among you are probably saying, “Yeah, right. Liar!” But I’m not. I’ve never not been able to write. I always have something to say and if I don’t then I say it anyway. Yes, I’ve written a lot of crap that should never see the eyes of man, but I wrote something. Writer’s block is something I know nothing about.
That’s why I laughed. This guy would have you believe that the very best writers get writer’s block for years. Years? I’ve never known anyone to get writer’s block for years. Not even the worst writers, let alone the best. If a writer gets writer’s block for years then they aren’t a real writer. That’s why this article is so deserving of a laugh.
Then there’s the grammar. The writer isn’t five words into this hack piece before foisting upon his readers two adverbs - yes, those dastardly, wicked, evil words from the other side of writer’s block. I hate them. Not only does he include two adverbs in the first five words, but they’re back to back adverbs. Detestable!
Good writers kill adverbs. They’re useless. They seldom make writing stronger. They almost always weaken it. And they don’t belong in the English language. The person who invented them must have been a non-writer, probably a mathematician.
The rules for blogging are no different than for any other kind of writing. If you can’t think of something to write about, a professional writer can help. Most of us don’t get writer’s block. If we do, we have ways of dealing with it, techniques that help jar us out of it and come up with something to write about. And grammar? Yes, we believe in good grammar. No adverbs. Unless they’re really necessary. Like that really in the last sentence. It was really necessary. But I’ve made a lifetime hobby of killing adverbs and I think that’s how you know when you’ve found a good writer.
