How does one overcome writer’s block?

Writer’s block is usually a result of your internal editor being adjusted louder than your internal creator. When your internal editor says “not good enough” too often or too loudly, preventing you from getting the words in your head onto the page, tell your internal editor, “It’s a good start. I can change it later if I need to.” Just keep repeating that until it’s louder and more persistent than your internal editor. I also recommend reading Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird (O’Neill Library PN147 .L315 1994).

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.