Writer's depression

.. if there's such a thing

I told someone (okay his name is russell) that I am in a some kind of writer's depression.
I want to be able to write fiction, but I feel depressed about my lack of imagination in writing.
I think I want to blame it all on Roald Dahl.

I just finished reading "The Roald Dahl Omnibus", a collection of his short stories, and it made me depressed.
I mean, this guy, has written every possible bizzare situation you can ever imagine.

A rich man who died and kept is brain alive, to the delight of his opressed wife, coz now she can exact revenge.
A guy who killed a vagrant and hid him in a haystack.
A bizzare rat catcher.
A boy who was raised in seclusion, became a famous vegetarian cook but on his first trip to the city, was .. well.. slaughtered. literally. (which I thought, was perhaps the sickest story he has ever written)
The adventures of two men trying to poach quails by giving them sleeping pills.
The adventures of two men trying to win a dog race by entering 2 dogs who looks exactly the same, and how they failed.
The neighbours who decided to switch wives (without their wives' knowledge).

and I don't think I even need to mention his other (more famous) stories..
A girl with telekinetic powers fighting against an evil headmistress
An orphaned boy flying on a giant peach with his insect friends
The guy with the chocolate factory.
the big friendly giant.

After reading Roald Dahl, I wonder how anyone like me could come up with anything new.

*sigh*

And then I go on modblog and read gems from people like russell the master randomizer a.k.a. sevenwaysfromsaved, or +benthere (who by the way, not only writes on her blog, but also has her very own column in The Here and There) .. and I wonder "where do these people come up with these things???"

*sigh*

But then again, I go to the bookstores and there's hundreds and hundreds of books. Authors kept churning and churning out stories all the time. Some true, some made up. Some bizzare, some normal.
Everybody has got something to say and some of them may even be saying the same thing, but they tell it in their own unique way and attract their own unique readers.

So maybe I should get off my depressed (and I hate to admit it, but maybe a little bit jealous) horse and start writing rather than moan and groan about it..

right?

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Blog Comments


Posted by: nekbat
Date: 11/13/05 at 1:36 PM (2M1d ago)
I envy people who can write and tell a story. You including.


Posted by:+benthere
Date: 11/13/05 at 5:21 PM (2M1d ago)
You spin a pretty decent yarn yourself girl.
I have never really attempted fiction...to be honest it kind of frightens me.
I am not sure I have it in my imagination to do it, and I have that fear of failure thing too :)

I find the best way to get around a block is to do that 30 minute thing...where you just write whatever is in your head for 30 minutes, no editing, not stopping...just random whatever comes out.
You write so incredibly well, never doubt yourself or your abilities.


Posted by:nutty
Date: 11/14/05 at 10:46 AM (2M15h ago)
err.. what ben said.