Rider Leaves the Block

I started this blog eleven months ago for one reason: writer's block.

I had a metric ton of projects I either wanted to work on or wanted to finish, but the ideas weren't coming. A blog seemed like the best solution to keep my skills sharp and, more importantly, to write something that I could finish to get that sense of accomplishment.

I can say I've had 170-plus moments like that in the form of published posts here on my blog. They were satisfying and they kept me sane during this dry spell.

But I'm finally back to fiction writing, and I'm going to focus on that for a while.

I've known for a long time that I experience creative bursts when I read novels. I thought that trick would work by listening to audiobooks, so over the past year I listened to quite a few of them.

That didn't help, so I went back to actual reading. I read Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Sarah Vowell, David Sedaris...all normally my favorites. They didn't help me out of this slump (although the latter two probably influenced the essays on my blog).

Then last week a friend lent me a copy of The Quickie by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge.

Have you read it?

It's shit.

Seriously, it's the literary equivalent of dried human waste in paperback form.

I've never read James Patterson before, and it seems I haven't missed a goddamn thing. I knew by the third page it was worse writing than the amateurish crap we read aloud in Creative Writing 101. By the third chapter I felt anger bubbling up from my gut that a publisher actually paid money for this. And by the time I finished the first third of the book I was ready to click open my "Projects" folder and get back to my writing because if James Patterson can sell his work then I sure as hell know I can do it, too.

It's funny how good writing didn't motivate me, but shitty writing kicked my ass into fourth gear.

So I'm leaving the Block for a while, but the posts will continue. I've invited another blogger to contribute to this pop culture block party, and she's agreed. I'll let her introduce herself when she's ready to start.

I won't be gone for good, my friends, so put down that noose. Rider's Block hits its one-year anniversary on November 16, and I'll probably log in and say a few words then.

If this is all too upsetting for you, write a hate letter to James Patterson.

I'm sure he's heard it before.