Saturday, August 05, 2006

Philip Pullman on Writer's Block

What do you do about writer's block?

"I don't believe in it. All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don't get plumber's block, and doctors don't get doctor's block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?"

A great answer - though the word associations between plumbers and blockages strikes me as icky.

2 comments:

la femme said...

Philip Pullman is my writer god. The Golden Compass/Northern Lights is absolutely one of the most amazing books I have ever read.

JuliaMazal said...

Mine too! I became a crazy zealot after I read The Golden Compass and started buying it for everyone. I want to check out the Sally Lockhart adventures now. Also, Pullman wrote the forward to an old funny book called The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsey that I recommend. It's more of a children's book/adult satire, but lots of fun.