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I may be the wrong person to review a book on writer’s block. I am very much of the same mindas Silvia [1], who succinctly stated on p. 46 of his book, “Saying that you can’t write because of writer’sblock is merely saying that you can’t write because you aren’t writing. It’s trivial. The cure for writer’sblock . . . is writing”. My latest pronouncement on the subject [2] took only two and a half pages andsaid something similar, albeit at greater length. Yet here is Laraine Herring (such a delicious name)covering the same ground in 173 pages. Silvia and Donovan were obviously economy editions—whatis new in the Herring approach?To be succinct, whereas I would get over not writing by writing, Herring uses a melange ofnon-writing, meditative techniques including yoga and tai-chi. This is not a direction in whichI, personally, would venture, although Herring also preaches the basics such as having a writingschedule and sticking to it. My philosophy is that the more a writer writes, then the more a writer willwrite. Herring’s attitude is substantially different—if you are not writing, go to a place where you cancontemplate not writing and shake it off.Meditation and contemplation apart, Herring has some interesting things to say on the subjectof writer’s block per se. She does repeat many times that she anticipates the reader to be writinga book/novel, whereas we academics are more likely to be scribbling research papers. Writer’sblock when writing, say, 5000 to 10,000 words is less disastrous than if your aim is 60,000 to 100,000.Even when I am writing a book or monograph, I subdivide the writing load into numerous smallersections which eventually t together; can this not be done when writing a novel? Is there really thatmuch difference? I remain unconvinced.Yet from p. 1 Herring does seem to side with the angels: “I don’t believe in writer’s block, per se,but I know very well the feeling of suddenly being stuck in my writing”. So, is Herring’s use ofyoga an equivalent of my standard thinking/brain de-clogging methods, such as going for a walk orchanging my location, such as from desk at home to a corner table in a cafe? We seem to be drawingcloser together.Herring’s Foundation Tool Kit (p. 4) of “ ... practices, prompts, movement activities, playlists ... ”sounds like an equivalent to my walks, but one which can be kept in a box under the bed. Some mayneed movement activities or the right music to scramble out of a writing slump. I understand and mustapprove. It is the job of the individual to study themselves and know what will work. As Herring sorightly observes, “You don’t have to attend an expensive [writers’] workshop or buy another book ...when you get stuck” (p. 14).I doubt if many academic authors acknowledge the worth of writing practice (Chapter 3, ‘Createa Consistent Practice’). I did not when I was younger and would have benetted. It was only whenI had an administrative job, with 10% research time, that I rst planned my writing time with anyrigour. I developed a writing pattern of nishing one project per month, even if it was only a short

publications

On Being Stuck: Tapping into the Creative Power of Writer’s Block by Laraine Herring. 2016. Shambhala Publications, Boulder, Colorado. US$16.95. ISBN 978-1-61180-290-0 (Paperback)