Defeat

Bridget Butler

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat” —F. Scott Fitzgerald

            Writing, both its process and its end product, is such a fascinating phenomenon, really. Although you can try to structuralize it (and, to an extent, succeed in doing so), there is no strictly concrete way of defining or understanding its purpose or function. Because of this, it can at times be an overwhelmingly difficult task to complete. When void of ideas, unable to incorporate that particular symbol or frustrated over the use of psychic distance, giving up hope is easily done and convenient. However, it is important to never forget that even the most celebrated people among the literary world experience lulls and periods of severe doubt.     

            It comes as no surprise to hear that everyone’s writing process is different. It is personal and there is no set formula that can be followed to obtain specific results. Naturally, then, not everyone does or can deal with “writer’s block” in the same fashion, and so, yet again, there is no set formula for overcoming it. That being said, writer’s block does not mean writing is a lost cause and should be abandoned.

            I think it is important to, when troubled/aggravated/dumbfounded by writer’s block or the futility of developing a certain story, realise that it is not inexorably the end. Maybe all that is required is a break or some rearranging of sentences or paragraphs. Writing, after all, does not write itself, and it is understandable—perhaps even necessary—that we occasionally fail at it. The important thing is to not allow this “failure” to smother us. Lack of immediate success is not always equivalent to defeat. In fact, I would argue that it is sometimes (most of the time) compulsory and key in understanding how to improve and ameliorate our work. Failure is unavoidable no matter who you are, so there is no use in permitting it to dictate our attitudes towards writing. If we do, we run the risk of shifting our entire mindset. If we are mentally unwilling to commit to working on writing, we will be physically unable to, as well.

            Going to the source of the problem is probably one of the most effective ways of both coming to terms with it and also overcoming it. We should familiarize ourselves with potential habits and/or patterns that force us into creative standstills and address them head on. If we purposefully tiptoe around them, the chances of something changing for the better are lessened. Despite what so many of us believe, there is nothing wrong with being stuck for a certain period of time, and we need not let this muffle our sense of self.

            F. Scott Fitzgerald believed in not allowing one defeat to become a final defeat. This, of course, is a very powerful and impressive idea, but as a challenge, why don’t we disallow any number of defeats, obstacles, or hindrances from becoming a final defeat? I have no doubt that the consequences of this practice are nothing short of great.