The Perils of Writer’s Block
“Writing about a writers’ block is better than writing about nothing at all.” Charles Bukowski
Also published under my personal site. Link is in my About page.
Specially for all the writers out there, like me: You know that feeling you get when you psych yourself up to write and do twenty push-ups but at the exact moment that you put your fingers down on the keyboard everything just goes poof and you’re left staring at a blank wall?
And at that moment you realise.
You have writer’s block.
The most feared literary illness.
The phases of it goes a little like this, according to me:
1. Denial
Oh, no. Oh no no no no. I do not have this. I do not have writers’ block. Not this. Anything but this. No. NO. I refuse to accept this great injustice that has been done to me. Why me?
Obviously, this is of no good use at all. But admit it. We all have done this before. That moment when what we’re dreading comes true. The most horrible thing to happen to all writers: the perilous writer’s block. Almost worse than breaking your leg then falling in lava. Almost.
2. Acceptance
You sit in front of that empty white screen and stare at it dolefully. So I do have writers’ block, you say as you sigh deeply.
Ah. The second stage. Acceptance. You finally admit to yourself, that, in fact, you actually do have writers’ block, and there is nothing you can do about it, as of now. Except for scream in frustration. But that’s not constructive. Moving on.
3. Distraction
You see a piece of tantalising chocolate on the window. (Don’t ask me why you put chocolate on your windowsill. I don’t know either.) You go for it and eat it. It might have been left out for hours and all melty and gross. An ant might have crawled over it. Good thing it’s wrapped. In shiny foil. Fancy, indeed.
But it doesn’t really matter. You’ve done the right thing. Congratulations! Find something to distract you from this glaring problem. For example, chocolate, as stated above in that most examplary example. Or books. Or cats. Cats solve everything. Unless you’re allergic to them, which, in that case, cannot be helped. I’m sorry. There is nothing more that I can do for you.
So there you have the three stages of experiencing writers’ block and perhaps how to cure it as well (If you continue to experience writers’ block as well as stomachaches from too much chocolate, I suggest you seek more sound advice from a doctor.)! Well, from my point of view, anyways. Everyone has different methods. You have yours. I have mine. Cats have theirs. That’s off topic. Oh well.
I wonder if I am experiencing writers’ block as I write this, considering that I do not really know what I am writing. Oh, probably not. Just jotting down random stuff that comes to mind.
Randomness unblocked. Imagine a huge dam with the word ‘randomness’ printed on it in bold, black capital letters. Now imagine a giant book smashing into it. (It’s a Chinese book, I don’t really care what happens to it.) All that randomness, just pouring out like money pouring out of my pocket when I visit a bookstore. What a beautiful simile. I deserve a gold medal for that one.
How terrifying. Perhaps it’s even worse than writers’ block.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.
Title: Clockwork Angel
Author: Cassandra Clare
My Rating: 5 stars!
Magic is dangerous – but love is more dangerous still
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray arrives in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, something terrifying in waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters, a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn ever deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by – and torn between – two best friends and quickly realises that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
Since The Infernal Devices is my favourite book series, I’ve found it fit to review Clockwork Angel as my first book! I read this back in 2013 and I really loved the interesting characters and the thrilling plot. My favourite character is the witty Will Herondale, as one might guess. I think that he’s one of the most interesting and funny characters I’ve ever seen in a book before, and I always found myself waiting for him to say something because whatever came out of his mouth was almost always guaranteed to be funny.
Okay, into the part where I rave about the plot. Where do I start? There’s just so many things I love about this book. First off, let me start off with the character dynamics. I love the interactions between Tessa, Will and Jem as well. I think that Cassie wrote it perfectly and that their love triangle wasn’t just like any normal love triangle- not where one character was completely left out and the other the obvious choice. I love the way Cassie handled the writing of the love triangle because it left you wondering about who Tessa would choose. Though I liked the love triangle a lot, I loved how the bond between those three was beautifully written. Will and Jem’s friendship was also one of my favourite aspects of the book (waves Heronstairs poster wildly in air). How Will behaved differently around Jem, how Jem always saw the true Will through the walls he erected, how they could be so different yet so much alike at the same time. I can’t fully express how much I love them in words, really- there’s just so many reasons!
I really loved the mystery surrounding the plot and who “The Magister” was. Mortmain came as quite a surprise, given that he was merely a mundane. My favourite scene was the chapter “Holy Water and Blood”. Yes, I am a Wessa shipper. 🙂 BUT I’m still okay with Jessa though I tend to lean towards Wessa. Back to plot, I must admit that I also like the last part where Tessa goes into Boadicea action mode and is all like ‘I’LL STAB MYSELF IF YOU DON”T GO AWAY”. Badasssss!!!!!!!!
Now I’m going to talk about the characters! Can we start off with Will? Yes. Obviously. Cute, check. Loves books, check. Seemingly mysterious and hiding a dark secret, check. I love him, as you can tell. HIs character is so well developed and I love him a lot. Now it’s Jem time! He’s super cute and caring, but his yin fen addiction breaks my heart. Such a sweet and caring boy definitely does not deserve this fate. Like really. But it’s really nice how much Will cares for him, and gets all his yin fen for him, and whatnot. Tessa. Our heroine. Okay, first off, she loves books. Awesome. I love main characters who love books because you can really identify with them and be really best friends with them. That’s how I feel towards Tessa! She’s also really strong, and I feel that she’s sort of a role model. For the other characters, I really like Sophie and Charlotte. Strong women ftw XD I thought that Jessamine was kinda b*tchy, but you know, she’s quite funny.
And this probably ends my review for now! Hope you liked my first review and if I have time, I’ll write down some more things that pop into my head.
❤ JJ
all things bright and bookish 