Alexander Chee
For me, writer's block means I've somehow rejected my own ideas as improbable, or unacceptable, or otherwise unthinkable. And so to deal with it I have to deal with why that is. Like many people, I have the belief that keeping myself silent in certain situations will make me invisible or will somehow protect me. When I want to silence myself, I fear myself. So I move toward the block that way: what do I fear will happen if I write this? Is that an honest fear or a dishonest one? The problem with having an imagination is that you can scare yourself out of your whole life if you're not careful. You can imagine a story or imagine yourself as a failure--both are stories, only one can be published. The other is you, blocking the door to your own life.
More Answered Questions
Jonathan Maas
asked
Alexander Chee:
One of your best essays is ‘Mr. and Mrs. B.,� in which you describe working for William Buckley, who unleashed an unspeakably homophobic idea, and his wife Mrs. Pat Buckley, who was a champion of gay rights WAY before it was fashionable. I understand your love for Pat, but do you think there is a tragedy in the sense that Mr. Buckley didn’t live long enough to realize that his unspeakably homophobic idea was wrong?
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