Answering All the Wrong Questions

Vol. 1 Issue 15

Everyone has heard of Writer’s Block right? I never really used to believe in such a thing. I thought that having Writer’s Block just meant that the person writing wasn’t motivated enough to come up with something to write, that they were either lazy or unorganized. I think I stole this idea from some famous writer, maybe Stephen King- that if you sit in front of the screen/typewriter/blank sheet long enough and write words, any words, eventually you will come up with something of value. Well, I was wrong. It is so much more complicated than this.

There are many layers of Writer’s block, everything from the one absolute extreme of a very motivated person whose has an actual inability to think of anything to write, I guess this would be the traditional kind of WB that most people think of, then, say on the other extreme, there would be a totally lazy person who does have something to write, but does not, because they are lazy. This second case may not seem like traditional WB to you, but rather just laziness. But I don’t know…I don’t think it’s that simple.

Unfortunately, questioning WB brings the real nature of laziness and motivation into question, like, are there such things as pure laziness and/or pure motivation devoid of personal circumstance, or are they always connected? Or is it possible that laziness could just be so innate in a person such that they would be lazy under almost all circumstances? (I say most because even the laziness person would not likely be lazy in a life-or-death situation like in a warring country, while being robbed, or while their apartment was on fire while they were inside). Or is laziness a syndrome, a culmination of factors that an unlazy person can “catch” and suffer from? The same types of questions could be posed towards motivation.

Just to reiterate, the question I really wanted to deal here was: What is Writer’s Block? But in dealing with the particulars of WB unfortunately I have created a subcategory question that I now have to deal with regarding the nature of laziness and motivation. I really did not want to deal with this subcategory, but what can I say, I brought it on myself, sigh.

I consider myself a fairly motivated person, but this motivation varies from time to time. I’m more motivated when I’m hungry, but not starving. After I eat a big meal, I’m lazy. Obviously the laziness is a side effect of having eaten in this case, but not all cases are this simple.

Could a truly motivated person just wake up one day lazy for no reason? Yes, for many good reasons actually such as a clinical depression or a chemical imbalance in the brain, due to bereavement, physical illness or injury. But these are legit reasons, and behavior under such personal circumstances can’t really be considered lazy, even if it appears to be identical to laziness, and it produces the same results.

Ok, how about some real life, not-so-legit examples.

Q.-What about a poor, yet motivated person who wins the lottery, becomes rich, and then becomes lazy?

A.-This would be an example of a most common phenomenon, a motivated person becoming lazy because their circumstances haved allowed it.

Q.-So was this person a truly lazy person from the outset, only that before they won the lottery they were too poor to be lazy, and thus just seemed motivated because they had to make ends meet?

A.-Difficult to truly prove, but yes. This is proven true because there must be some lottery winners who were motivated before winning the lottery and continued to remain motivated even after winning.

Q.-What about the laziest couch potato who through sheer power of will (motivation) rises to becomes C.E.O of a Blue Chip Multi-National?

A.-Impossible to answer. It’s never happened

Q.-Ok, what about the laziest couch potato who lived on a trust fund, but that trust fund has since run out and all sources of income have become exhausted? Say this person gets their act together, due at first due to necessity, but then through motivation rises to C.E.O, then what?

A.-Did the couch potato have a college degree already?

Q.-That’s not an answer, but no, they did not.

A.-I ask because many lazy trust-funders still somehow make it through college. Hmmm, this is a hard one because it is so uncommon. In the past it was likely that once the couch potato’s trust fund ran out he would get a job at a record or video store. Since these days neither of these jobs exist I suppose anything is possible. The couch potato would almost certainly first have to go to college if they were ever to have a shot at C.E.O. There is so much red tape and expense involved in going to college that if the couch potato managed to enroll themselves in college, finish, and then rise to the C.E.O. position I suppose this would be an example of a lazy person becoming extremely motivated. This would be an extremely rare case.

Q.-What about losing motivation during overcast skies?

A-This would fall under depression, and is common in many people. Unless it is clinical, this in my opinion does not count as a legit reason for being lazy

Q.-Since when does your opinion count?

A.- Since now. No more questions.

So in conclusion, having said absolutely nothing, yet written plenty or words, I think I have demonstrated a variation on the traditional notion of Writer’s Block. Today’s blog is an example of sitting in front of the screen for a long time, yet not coming up with anything of value. Take that Stephen King.

It is Monday. My blog needed to be written. My readers demanded it dammit. This is what they pay me for!