I Would Prefer Not To

A Reflection on Writer’s Block

Abstract

This article reflects on writer’s block from two perspectives: pagblanfobia, or fear of the blank page, and then, there is the black page, which represents resistance to writing practice, resulting in non-writing. Writer’s block is described as a paralyzing abyss, a force that opposes the creative word. While resisting writing can be a choice, self-deception, or voluntary renunciation when everything has been said, here the black page (opposed to the blank page) replaces writing with emptiness or erasure. The concept of non-writing is not a negation of writing, but rather an unexplored area, a path of resistance, doubt, and reflection necessary before the materialized word sees the light of day. The title of the article is a nod to Bartleby, the typist that Herman Melville introduced to the world at the end of the 19th century, whose motto was “I wouldprefer not to” which is repeated in the novel as a refrain but also as the protagonist’s perspective of its life. A century later, the book Bartleby & Co. (2000), by Enrique Vila-Matas, will named the “writers of No” as Bartlebys, those who, although try, choose not to write. Later, the metaphor represented by this character allows me to redefine writer’s block in this reflection, in which I argue that writer’s block can be a pause or a creative stillness that allows the search for new paths.