(Linking into another thread. Shortlist of "to be read.")
>>6838
Just finished the first on that list. Unfortunately, I got distracted with a line of research leading me back to an author I have great difficulty tearing myself away from. So in addition to that list of eventual titles, I'm currently reading Demons by Dostoyevsky.
I really need to stop fucking around though and study both Against the Day and The Gunslinger.
>writer's block?
Speaking generally, writer's block is bullshit. Use it. Get back to work and fill in that blank page. If it's crap, it's crap. Part of the writing process is simply laying down the fertilizer in a dusty open field devoid of muse, magic, or art. Stephen King says much the same thing.
The general solution to writer's block is found in writing. Seriously, get back to work.
And some specifics for fiction:
What you've written previously is fundamentally broken, somewhere. Experienced writers tackle this better, for beginners it will be a nightmare. The process isn't fun, but it is invaluable for a beginner. So stick with it though to the end.
The problem is identifying what is wrong.
a) If you have access to a real editor, the time is now. Bust out the knee pads.
b) Writers group. Can be frustrating as they likely will be able to note something is wrong, but not articulate what. Keep your frustration to yourself. Keep. Your. Mouth. Shut. Watch them closely as they read and discuss it, you might pick up about where the problem is happening at least.
c) Go back to your characters and huddle. Change the scene around, put them in a different environment, or change to a different character's POV.
d) You are going to fix things in the rewrite anyway. Skip it and move on – next scene, next chapter, etc.
e) Do you know how the story ends already? Getting there is the goal, keeping that in mind can help you get around current obstacles.
Writer's block happens because it's part of the process. Tier one grade A well seasoned writers routinely deal with it.
Frederic Prokosch: "Halfway through and here I am again with all this highfalutin artistic crap. Why do I keep doing this? Fuck it, I just wanna write a plain old novel. Hello again page one!"
Gore Vidal: "Success means paying someone else to read your writing so as to do all the typing. For myself, having more money means having more active drafts in process of rewriting. More is better."
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: "Dear editor, I have nothing to send you as I just finished the third draft which is a complete failure. Now I understand what is wrong and am beginning page one of draft four immediately after I finish this letter. Unless I get lucky and have another seizure necessitating a day or two vacation. Take care."
I'm inventively paraphrasing a bit here, but all three writers are on recored as having made these observations. The key between them? Draft after draft, pummeling the problems into submission – they never stopped writing.
Keep writing.