Comments on: Is Fear of Breaking a Taboo Blocking Your Creativity?

By: Overcoming Creative Blocks | Marmalade Moon

Overcoming Creative Blocks | Marmalade Moon — Tue, 24 May 2011 10:03:48 +0000

[...] start creating when you don’t know what to say, being torn between different creative ambitions, breaking taboos and sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ [...]

By: Pk

Pk — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:15:23 +0000

Yeah. Apart from the inner critic thing, this is the one I have. I guess as you say, and as Dale Carnegie says, “Accept the worse that could happen” and get along with it. Let’s just do it, people.

By: Anastasia

Anastasia — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:05:21 +0000

I have such a project in the works as well and for several months after I realized *I was writing it* (it creeps up on you, because it comes from an urge inside and is actually connected to something larger than just you, and then you’re carried away) the things I generated were all about how I didn’t want to associated with the topic. Who needs the trouble? The stigma! The misunderstandings! The shunning. The law suits. Not me.

I’d also add that this juncture comes after more than 15 years of professional writing. Which is key. It took me that long to 1) get to this high-impact topic 2) get to the point of being able to write about it even though I wish I didn’t have to. That’s progress — and I believe it’s better writing. More emotionally honest, about something that matters very much.

So, I’d say that if Alex really wants to write, having the urge to write the toughest stuff is a good sign for his writing at least. It still has to be done well (if for publication), and he has to be prepared for it not to be a huge hit (I hear way too much warning about ‘misery memoirs’, and all the reviewers and literary judges are groaning about doom and gloom).

However, if he does it and does it well, I think it has the potential to be the best thing he’s ever done.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:33:40 +0000

@ Nathan – That’s one of my favourite quotes too!

@ Mary – Good point about fiction/nonfiction. As long as Alex doesn’t write it in verse – everyone tends to assume poets are writing about themselves, whatever they write about!

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:49:41 +0000

You mention pseudonyms here, Mark, but there’s something related I’d like to add. *Alex* didn’t mention whether his intended project is to be fiction or nonfiction. If he’s writing about his taboo in a nonfiction book, sure, the people who read it are going to know it’s about him. If he writes about it in a fictional novel, people may suspect the taboo subject is about him, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Fiction writers write about topics they haven’t personally experienced all the time. Case in point: How many mystery writers have murdered people?

By: Nathan Hangen

Nathan Hangen — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:11:13 +0000

I think point #2 is very important. Just focus on getting it all out before you try to decide what’s safe to include and what isn’t.

There’s always time for editing. My favorite writing related quote:

“Write drunk, edit sober.”

- Hemingway

I think that applies here too.