Tag Archives: writer’s block

Regarding novels, which English authors have the most complicated writing style?

Leave a reply

I love answering questions on Quora. I wish I had more time for this to write answers about creative writing, poetry, literature, cultural events, SEO, writer’s block, and ways to boost our creativity.

I would say that Virginia Woolf‘s style is intricately beautiful.

“I can only note that the past is beautiful because one never realizes an emotion at the time. It expands later, and thus we don’t have complete emotions about the present, only about the past.”

“The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.”

“Nothing thicker than a knife’s blade separates happiness from melancholy.”

“Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.”

“There was a star riding through clouds one night, & I said to the star, ‘Consume me’.”

What are the benefits of reading and writing poetry? Why is it still relevant in today’s society?

2 Replies

From Quora

If you are a writer, immersing yourself in the works of other writers can deepen your understanding of the art of crafting vivid imagery and evoking powerful emotions through words.

We, as writers, experience the writer’s block more than often. When I do feel my imagination running dry, as it is difficult to come up with new ideas, the best medicine is to stop writing and start reading. I read everything I could find in my library. Anyhow, I have a lot of books on my must-read list. And I believe in Taleb’s antilibrary.

“Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection of unread books an antilibrary.” – The Black Swan, Nassim Taleb

After a few days, my writing voice is back. The most inspirational writers for me are: John Fowles, Somerset Maugham, Jack London.

Notwithstanding, the most useful information comes from books.
Writing poetry is, in my opinion, the most important gymnastic of the mind.
I usually write poetry about natural landscapes that speak to me in verses and about paintings.

I wrote this inspired by a Vincent van Gogh’s painting.

He is fairer than Spring,
Wiser than my unread library,
Tenderer than a feather
in the newly-stirred autumn wind.

The breathtaking lilac copses in my neighborhood served as inspiration for A Day as the Lilac Hunter. They are more like bushes, but, in my imagination, they have the potent carnal scent of the Forest of Lilacs.

Photo by the author.

How do you tackle writer’s block?

1 Reply

Writer’s block is the condition of being unable to create a piece of written work because something in your mind prevents you from doing it.

The term was coined in 1947 by Dr Edmund Bergler, a famous Austrian psychiatrist living in New York City.

Teaching comes naturally to me because I view it as a real-time storytelling experience between myself and my students. I do not teach grammar in a dull manner; instead, I incorporate storytelling into my teaching approach.

I believe that writing is the true form of storytelling, and I have seldom experienced writer’s block. I struggle the most with maintaining consistency in my writing because sometimes my texts come across as frail when I am feeling very tired. I do not recognize my voice in them.

At times, I experience a lack of fresh ideas since I strive to write original content consistently. Sometimes the images I intend to convey through my stories appear to be blurry.

The medicine for that is to stop writing and start reading. I read everything I could find in my library. Anyhow, I have a lot of books on my must-read list. And I believe in Taleb’s antilibrary.

“Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection of unread books an antilibrary.” – The Black Swan, Nassim Taleb

After a few days, my writing voice is back. The most inspirational writers for me are: John Fowles, Somerset Maugham, Jack London.
If I were to pursue a career as a novelist, my aspiration would be to write at least half as well as the aforementioned writers.

What about you? How do you beat writer’s block?
What’s your secret to unlocking the creative floodgates when the words just won’t flow?

Art – Vanessa Bell – Interior with the Artist’s Daughter, 1935

Writer’s block

Leave a reply

Imagination doesn’t come easy or cheap. Sometimes words slide gracefully into polished sentences and sometimes they stumble in incredibly incongruous ideas that represent nothing.

Write what goes through your mind. Then shape and polish the sharp edges. Have your thoughts run wild and tame them a little. Not too much.

Find sources of inspiration in everything you see, read, watch. Write them down and make up a story.

Listen to people. They are stories on two legs. They can give you hints of lives you could never know.

Write the truest sentence that you know. “I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, ‘Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.’ So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there.”
– Ernest Hemingway
I always start with the truth, it is more illuminating and saner than everything we can imagine.

Vincent Van Gogh 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art by Vincent van Gogh.