Writer’s Block – Myth or Not: Santosh Bakaya’s TEDx Talks

“Sources of creativity are not miraculous. Creations come from our very day to day lives and from our surroundings. It is ultimately the human brain which stands as the generator of tales as it processes and derives from our circadian experiences. If not these, then in what else could creativity find its effective foundations?”

TEDx Talk – ‘Writer’s Block: A myth or not?’ by Dr Santosh Bakaya

If this is an essential truth about the basis and source of artistic and literary expressions of the human world, there are also questions regarding the irregularity in the flow of such outputs of creativity. For example, in the writing world, we often get to hear the ubiquitous phrase ‘Writer’s Block’, that comes across as quite an impediment to a writer’s journey. Many writers seem to be victims of this syndrome and have complained they do not know how to rise above it at times.

Dr Santosh Bakaya at the TEDx Talks

In January 2018, TEDx Talks invited Dr Santosh Bakaya, an academician, scholar, author, essayist, and poet from India to deliver a talk on this oft-discussed subject of ‘Writer’s Block’. Dr. Bakaya was awarded the Reuel International award for language and literature 2014 for her long poem Oh Hark!. The author of three mystery novels for young adults, the best-selling book Ballad of Bapu, the book of essays Flights from My Terrace, the peace-poetry collection Under The Apple Boughs and the very recent novella Skyful of Balloons is truly an incredible woman who has already created an important niche for herself in both the literary and the academic arena.

The event organized by a prestigious engineering college in Jaipur LNMIIT, using the TED conference format, can be summarized as an eye-opening experience, keeping in mind the relevance of the subject and Dr. Bakaya’s presentation of it.

In her introduction, the reputed author explains what exactly the ‘Writer’s Block Syndrome’ is. With her characteristic sense of humour, she says:

WHAT EXACTLY IS A WRITER’S BLOCK? It is that BLANK PAGE SYNDROME when you sit in front of the laptop and the screen stares back at you, SCOWLS at you, GRIMACES and makes GROTESQUE faces and you cannot write any more, your ideas have disappeared and the end of the world is near. Many suffer from a week long block, many a year, and many have a long bout with writer’s block and never seem to recover.

Many a time I have received frantic calls from my friends, saying, I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO! I JUST CANNOT WRITE. For them, it can be a very scary scenario, and they would give anything to overcome it. IT IS A TUG OF WAR BETWEEN WILL POWER AND WON’T POWERS.

Merriam Webster Dictionary defines, “A PSYCHOLOGICAL INHIBITION preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece. Wikipedia calls it : A CREATIVE SLOWDOWN.”

BUT LET ME SAY WITH ALL THE FORCE AT MY COMMAND THAT I THINK IT IS A MYTH. Many students tell me that they are very passionate about writing , and the very next day they say that they cannot write as they suffer from a WRITER’S BLOCK. Many a time I been asked in interviews whether I have ever suffered from a writer’s block. Well, many of my writer friends always complain about that irritating feeling when they just cannot bring themselves to write, and I have seen and heard those exchanging notes, remedies and suggestions.

I feel that, it is actually the monsters of negativity stalking you. And that basically stems from FEAR OF FAILURE.

MEAGAN SPOONER says, “Writer’s block is just a fancy way of saying, I don’t feel like doing any work.”

More to read

Choices Before an Aspiring Writer

Creative Writing – How I Improved My Writing Skills

Where Are The Lilacs – In Conversation with Author Dr. Santosh Bakaya

‘Darkness There But Something More’: Up, Close and Personal With the Two Editors Dr. Santosh Bakaya and Lopa Banerjee

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