by Lizbeth Finn-Arnold
Do you suffer from —
- Writer’s block or excessive procrastination?
- An aversion to taking creative risks — resulting in writing that feels stale, imitative, or flaccid?
- A shortage of ideas that feels original, authentic, brave, or compelling?
- An overall feeling of creative lethargy, melancholy, or ennui?
- The absence of a playful, loving, and kind muse?
- The presence of a cruel inner critic who keeps you in an endless feedback loop of fear, criticism, resistance, and doubt?
If so, you might be suffering from Generalized Writer’s Perfectionism Disorder (GWPD).
According to data compiled over the last four hundred years by the Office of Fairy Queens, Mermaids, and Witch Doctors, thousands — and possibly billions — of writers live with a loud, critical voice inside their heads. These voices were often implanted in early childhood by a well-meaning but often unstable or narcissistic parent, teacher, or coach. Most often, these voices insist that the writer is not good enough, smart enough, talented enough, or special enough to succeed in their endeavors. In longitudinal studies, respondents referred to these voices as persistent, screeching, and demonic in nature.
Related Condition: Weltschmerz
Those suffering from GWPD are often highly-sensitive and may also suffer from ‘Weltschmerz’. In the 1790s, German author Johann Paul Friedrich Richter coined the term, which means — melancholy and world-weariness. This melodramatic world-view permeated the works of many romantic writers, including Lord Byron, Oscar Wilde, William Blake, and Marquis de Sade.