Don’t Blame Me For Your Mistakes

You can’t allow pride to hold you back from seeing the truth

I often find myself at odds with the writing community. Although I’ve been writing for 20 years, I also have a science background, and that provides me with a unique perspective.

I hold a Bachelor of Science with a degree in English and a minor in Physics. I am also certified to teach both high school English and Physics.

I firmly believe that no matter how good a system has become, there is always room for improvement. Furthermore, anyone who works within a system should be constantly on the lookout for ways to improve.

Inspiration can strike you on your first day of the job or at any point thereafter. And if the revelation is warranted, it should be universally adopted.

The writing community, however, is extremely stuck in its ways. I often find that my suggestions are met with hostile dismissal without ever even being truly considered.

The fundamental lesson I took from my science background was that it’s always better to disprove a theory than it is to dismiss an idea out of hand. When you’re open to honest intellectual inquiry, sometimes you make discoveries that are of great benefit to you and everyone around you.

There’s No Such Thing as Writer’s Block

I recently published two articles with The Writing Cooperative on the subject of writer’s block.

My personal belief is that writer’s block does not exist, and I wished to lay out the argument.

I have a firm position. Writer’s block is not a recognized scientific affliction. You can’t go to a reputable doctor and get a prescription to help you overcome your illness. A psychiatrist might take it seriously, although I’ve never heard of a writer truly seeking out that kind of treatment.

Here are those two articles:

1. There’s No Such Thing as Writer’s Block 2. No Other Professionals Claim To Be Blocked

Although I admit that I was expecting a little bit of push back on these, I was taken aback by the open hostility these articles generated.

The Comments

All articles represent an argument. The writer poses a thesis (in this case, my assertion that writer’s block does not exist). It’s then up to the writer to lay out the argument.

The reader, in turn, can choose whether to accept or dismiss the argument.

Keep in mind that if the author’s argument is wrong, the reader can disprove it with a solid, fact-based counter-argument. I welcome and approve of that sort of interaction.

What gets under my grill, however, is when a reader neglects to understand or disprove the argument, and instead, launches a series of arrogant and unsubstantiated claims. Take this one for example:

The thesis of this comment is that “writers face a unique challenge among creatives and professionals.” However, the provided statement has no supporting evidence.

Also, writers can do meaningful things to prepare. They can outline, they can jot down notes, they can sketch out plots. All of these are useful and necessary steps.

Therefore, I disagree with this comment and I posted the following:

The Plot Thickens

Question asked, answer given, the back and forth could have ended there.

However, the problem with arguing with creatives versus arguing with scientists is that creatives are more prone to dipping into their emotions. They feel an intense need to respond even when a response is unwarranted.

Also, when it’s about writing, the community is filled to the top with arrogance and entitlement.

Many haughty writers will never accept that you have proved them wrong and will instead fight you until their last breath.

Again, this person insists that writing is somehow some mystical pursuit that is different from all other pursuits. But he’s just wrong.

Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration — Thomas Edison

I have a background that covers two radically different fields, and I know from experience that professionals in both of these fields encounter moments when they require inspiration before they can proceed. It’s not unique to writing, and it’s not “getting blocked.”

It’s simply a component of being a professional that you encounter obstacles and work to overcome them.

The person who is arguing with me is making assumptions based on several false premises that are common to the writing community. If he abandoned these ideas, he’d be more empowered to practice his craft effectively. But instead of listening to me, he resorts to anger and dismissal.

I Don’t Feel I Was Impolite

Probably the most infuriating thing about this interaction was that every time the reader offered a question, I provided a polite and well-considered answer.

I am allowed to disagree with somebody who interacts with me. There’s nothing incumbent upon the concept of courteous debate that I should have to abdicate my position.

However, the reader continued to reply with increasing hostility.

Up until this point, I was relatively engaged with the discussion, but this comment is highly problematic.

Again, all the readers had to do to prove me wrong was to provide fact-based evidence that my position was incorrect. That’s it.

But instead of engaging in intellectually honest debate, he chose to lecture me on why I’m wrong without providing any evidence. From the beginning, he’s been dismissive of my article and my responses to his comments. Therefore it’s ironic and inaccurate for him to accuse me of being dismissive.

I often run into this kind of argumentative tactic when I’m debating Trump supporters.

When people are cornered, they frequently resort to flipping the scenario to make it look like you are the one guilty of their transgression. It’s similar to how Trump tries to accuse Biden of our current state of civil unrest when Trump has been the one using racially charged, divisive rhetoric throughout his term as president.

The “Debate” Ended There

You cannot write an article questioning the existence of writer’s block unless you have spent some time thinking about writer’s block. However, it is possible to dismiss that argument without even having the courtesy to listen to the author. That is what happened in this interaction.

When individuals hold an unsubstantiated belief, it is extremely hard to get them to examine it. They stubbornly refuse and resort to a series of defense mechanisms that range from hostility to false accusations. The range of likely responses is similar to what was shown in this article.

Swimming Against the Current

In the greater scheme of things, writer’s block is a very benign concept. Consider then how much more intense these discussions become when you’re engaging a more emotionally charged topic like racism or abortion.

It’s important for all intellectually honest people to occasionally take a step back and evaluate whether their position on an issue is rational or if they are allowing arrogance or pride to influence their perceptions.

It is always to your benefit to adopting a reasonable perspective, but sometimes it’s hard to break through the barriers that stop people from even engaging an idea.

Thank you for reading.

If you are interested to read more of my articles, you may start with the following one.