Writer's Block is a Myth

"Where've you been?" I asked the postman as he handed me a stack of circulars, magazines, and overdue bills strapped with a rubber band that was reaching its limit. "I haven't gotten any mail all week."

"Sorry," he replied regretfully, "But I had Delivery Block."

"Delivery Block?" I was appalled and offended that he would offer such an excuse. "What the hell is that?"

"I don't know, but for some reason I was unable to…deliver." He said the word as though the sound of it caused him to shiver. It was a raspy October Saturday, and he was wearing shorts and a postal safari hat. He looked troubled and apologetic. "I would get to the mailbox and I just couldn't put anything in. I found myself thinking, 'What if it's bad news?' 'What if they can't pay the bill?' 'What if these circulars drive them crazy by just piling up?'"

I nodded; amazed that he could be so in tune. He was talking about me for sure. I hated the mail. It was nothing more than a daily dose of drivel and distractions. Wasted words. But when three days passed and I didn't see a thing in my mailbox, I knew something was wrong.

"I'm trying to get over it," he explained. "But even now when I'm delivering it doesn't feel meaningful. It feels like a chore. I'm not doing anything constructive."

"Well you still have to do what you have to do," I struck back. I admit I was unsympathetic, but this was my mail we were talking about! "It's your job and your responsibility. You have a lot of people relying on you. There will always be obstacles. But you still have a job to do."

He nodded, still extremely discouraged. "Well I'm sorry. I really am." There was an uncomfortable pause between us. "I gotta go. I gotta deliver another apology card to your neighbor. They're separated, you know. He's trying to find a way back."

It was news to me. As I watched the mailman trudging down the sidewalk towards my neighbor's house, it occurred to me that we never know the burdens another person carries. I looked at the mailman and realized that what he was toting around on his shoulder was other people's lives. People's joy, pain, hopes and dreams were all in that bag of his. Suddenly I could see the heavy burden of constantly having to deliver.

Throwing the entire heap of bills and catalogs on the dining room table, I returned to my computer and the blank page. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, but nothing came. My mind was hyperactive, a ticker that I couldn't follow. What is worth saying? I asked myself. What is worth discarding? What is worth putting down on paper for the world to see? After a long moment of emptiness, I leaned back in despair, realizing that what the postman had was contagious. I just couldn't seem to write.

Writers aren't the only ones who get "blocked". I'm sure there are many who suffer from this ailment. I'm sure there are secretaries, teachers, doctors, clergymen, who sometimes feel inhibited, intimidated, unfulfilled by their day's work. I'm sure even George Dubya has a spell every now and then when he's not feeling…presidential. But to embrace the notion of a slump the way writers do is nothing more than a cop-out. "For some reason I cannot seem to pound out the first chapter of the Great American Novel. I must have writer's block."

Sure, there are times when writing is extremely difficult. Why shouldn't it be that way? There are also times when parenting, marriage, and friendship can be a chore. Even getting out of bed can be a challenge once in a while. Why don't we just label those things too? ("Sorry I'm late, I was suffering from Rise and Shine Block")

A writer claiming to be "blocked" is no different than anyone else who happens to be in a funk. But we scribes have a name for our dysfunction. Sit among any group of writers and the question of "how to handle writer's block" is sure to emerge sooner than later. I wonder if all those postmen and UPS guys have support groups too. What do you do when you just can't seem to deliver?

This is what you do: you suck it up and go do it anyway. Try telling your editor or your publisher or the funding source for your proposal that you missed your deadline because of "Writer's Block". You just may find yourself writing a resume very quickly.

When Michael Jordan can't make a jump shot, he just keeps shooting. When Barry Bonds can't hit a home run, he just keeps swinging. So when a writer finds himself staring at a blank page and just can't write, what should he do? Just keep writing. It's that simple. Pretty soon, the meaning behind the process will find its way back. Or maybe it won't, in which case you may have to face the reality that you are not a writer and should find another calling.

But there are aspects of this process other than "writing". Bonds can win a game with his glove, his arm, or his speed. Jordan can rebound, pass, and play defense. For a writer, there's also research. Observation. There's thinking, dreaming, visualizing. There's reading. If you really find yourself stuck - physically, mentally, emotionally paralyzed and unable to bring pen to page - then do something else that relates to your craft in some way or the other. But if you can't shake the notion and you truly feel the need to cling to a myth, then why not try chasing the Muse. If you do it with the same fervor that you buy into your writer's block, then you will find yourself endlessly inspired.