Writer's block

[markw at mohawksoft.com]

> On Fri, Mar 04, 2005 at 07:44:17AM -0500, markw at mohawksoft.com wrote:
>> To anyone who says that writing software is nothing like writing a book
>> has never experienced programming writer's block.
>> ........
>> Anyone else have this problem? What do you do to get around it?
>
>
> "Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper
> until tiny drops of blood form on your forehead."

I am quite familiar with that quote, it always cracks me up because it is
so true, and people who've never had "writer's block" simply do not
understand.

>
> I have an easier time getting through a software writing block than a
> "creative" writing block.

Really? I find them both extremely difficult.

>
> Why? To see if you wrote the software correctly you can run the program
> and check the results.  its easy (ier) to check.
>
> With creative writing, there is no way to verify if your composition is
> going to evoke the response you wanted in the mind of the reader.
>
> In both cases, I find that that writing an outline (quick notes on what
> is supposed to happen, in sequence) helps.

Got the notes.

For me, I guess, usually, it is the back of my brain saying "you're
thinking about this wrong and I won't help you do it." The back of my
brain, of course, refuses to be helpful in anyway, like suggesting an
alternative approach with which it will agree to work, no, that would be
helpful.

Like this, I know this is yet another distraction that is far more
enjoyable that actually thinking about the software that I need to write
and which will be late by the end of the day.

What did Douglas Adams say? "I love deadlines, the sound they make as the
whoose by." or something like that.