Help - I’m stuck! Writer’s block!
Originally published at Nika Dixon. You can comment here or there.
We’ve all been there, haven’t we writers? You’re humming along, words flowing, plot zipping, then all of a sudden… BLAM. You’re stuck. You’ve got nothing. The creative juices are dried up. Tapped out.
So you sit down and try to determine what is wrong. You examine your outline looking for holes. You read the work-in-progress hoping to piggyback on the flow and use it to speed you over the hump. You trash the chapter that’s stuck and start it again. Several times.
Nothing!
You know you need to get your characters from A to B but you can’t for the life of you figure out how they’re supposed to get there. You analyze your life with a magnifying glass… work is fine, life is fine, kids are back in school, you’re sleeping, you’re eating well, you’re not stressed (except for the fact your plot is facing a brick wall)… everything is beautiful. So what on earth is the problem?
Just as everyone has advice on how to get rid of the hiccups, everyone has advice on how to move past writer’s block. There are hundreds of techniques and tips out there-everything from the zany to the mundane. Below I’ve listed a few of the more popular tips and tricks from the experts. (Which begs the question… how do you become an expert on writer’s block?)
1. Location, location, location!
Many people write in the same place-sitting at their desk in the home office. If you’re stuck, try something as simple as moving. Is there a spot your hero or heroine would normally frequent? A location (coffee shop, police station, forest, lake) specific to your story? Grab your laptop and off you go! You don’t have to be exact, no one’s asking you to fly to the Sahara for a desert setting, but you can get creative! Need a beach setting but you live in the middle of the country? How about the local pool? A Paris café? Try a patio at a local mom/pop coffee shop. Writing paranormal or dark suspense? Try turning the lights off and writing by candlelight. Remember you’re just looking for something to trigger those creative juices!
Now if you’re locked down to a desktop computer, don’t worry! You can still change it up. Try moving the furniture around in your office. Turn your desk towards the window or patio doors. Find photos or magazine ads of locations in your story and tape them to the wall in front of you.
2. Bring on the music!
Sometimes a change of music is all that’s needed to kick your muse in the butt. You can direct yourself towards something applicable to your story-bagpipes for a Scottish historical, perhaps? Country ballads for your cowboy? Or you can switch up what you normally listen to. If you’re like me, you probably have music playing while you write, or even go so far as to have certain songs inspire a scene. If that’s the case, try changing the style of music…from country to top 40. From rock to folk. If you are the kind of writer who prefers silence to avoid the distraction, try putting something soft in the background to help kick you out of your funk. You can always go back to your solitary style once you are unblocked.
3. Ask yourself WHAT IF?
Write down where you need the story/characters to go in the end. Then ask yourself WHAT IF…and make the rest of the question crazy, zany, wild, nutty. There are no boundaries, and no limitations.
For example:
Say you need your character’s to get to a certain location by the end of the book, and you have no idea how you are going to accomplish it. On a separate page write down five what if’s…
- What if they went by rocket ship?
- What if they were picked up hitchhiking and had to ride in the back of a turnip truck?
- What if the they rode with a marching band?
- What if they had to walk the whole way?
- What if they could swim?
Mull over each of the ones you have and if any of them strike your fancy, make you laugh, or seem so outlandish it would never work, then keep going! Because your brain is now working creatively and you have something to go on.
4. Write something new.
Some writers do find it beneficial to work on two projects (or more) at the same time. When one stalls, they switch to the other. I’m not sure if this is because it gives you more freedom, or just minimizes the boredom, but either way it seems to be a great way to jump out of your lull.
5. Distract yourself!
Stop thinking about it! Read a book. Go to the movies. Call your girlfriends and tell them you need a girls night out. Just drop the work in progress for a little while and let yourself fall into another place and time. Break your routine and do something fun and energetic. Go to a sporting event. Take a drive, crank the tunes, and sing along with the radio. Anything to get out of the house and away from the screen.
Remember, writer’s block is only temporary. The hard part is not getting stressed over it. It happens to all of us!
Hugs!
- Nika