Writer's Block

I've had writers block for the last week. I remember listening to Lois McMaster Bujold (probably best known for her delightful Miles Vorkosigan series) talking about writer's block. She said her characters would occasionally stubbornly sit down, go on strike, and refuse to follow her intentions. Finally she would understand what the characters themselves wanted to do, and the words would flow once again.

It sounded very odd to me at the time, and yet that's pretty much how this past week has felt. I have the bullet list of points I wanted to make under Cooling Options Parts 2 and 3, but the words refused to flow. I made attempts, forcing the words out, but they were stilted, jerky, and refused to stay on topic, constantly veering off in barely-related tangental directions. And these are simple ideas, not even complex characters! What sort of rebellion, or strike, can this be?

I caved, I admitted defeat. I threw my hands up and said fine, I won't write about you, you obstinate stubborn cooling options! Obviously now is not your time. Who would have thought that simple living alternatives were such prima donnas, refusing the stage because they weren't ready yet?!

So who knows what the next topic will be. For now, I'm going to read a book instead of attempting to write one. And eventually I will understand just what it is my characters, er, topics, want to do next!