We're continuing our three-week series on the theme of "progress". If you missed the first part, you can find it here:
Have you ever been writing away ... only to feel that something's not quite right? Maybe you ploughed on for
a few more chapters, but eventually, you got to a point where you felt stuck or even blocked. The story you were telling just wasn't working, somehow.
While sometimes a writing block can be caused by external factors (you're stressed, tired, overwhelmed, etc), it can also often signal a problem within whatever you're writing. Breaking through the block, then, means you need to make some sort of breakthrough with your
thinking.
Here are some ideas that might help you:
Note: my focus here is on fiction writing, but of course non-fiction writers sometimes get stuck too! Tip #4 can help with almost any type of writing.
#1: Take a Big Step Back
Whatever you're working on, it's hard to have much perspective when you're right up close. Take a big step back -- put your work
aside for a few days, then read through what you've already written.
Do any problems stand out? Is your story lacking sufficient conflict, making it boring to write? Do you have characters that are too similar, or too bland? Have you gone off on a tangent that, on reflection, doesn't work?
Any and all of these can be fixed! Sometimes, it's enough just to acknowledge a problem and to jot down notes about how you'll fix it -- then you can move
forward as if it was already fixed. (You can address it for real when you edit your work.)
#2: Write from a Different Point of View
Whether you have one viewpoint character or several, switching a scene into a different point of view can sometimes be enough to shed new light on the story ... and give you a path for moving forward. You don't need to keep the altered scene: this is just
a writing exercise.
If you're writing in the third person, you might want to shift to first person to see if you can capture a character's voice better; if you always write from the protagonist's perspective and your antagonist seems a bit flat or cartoonish, you could switch things around and tell us how the antagonist sees things.
#3: Shore Up a Character's Motivation
Sometimes, writing blocks
arise when you're trying to force your characters to do what fits your plot. Let's say you need your protagonist, Susie, to have a huge row with her boss. But if Susie is normally a calm, measured sort of person, this kind of row can't come out of the blue.
The fix here is often easier than you might think. You don't need to replot: you just need to give your character sufficient reason for their actions. Maybe Susie finally snaps after she sees a junior member of staff
crying because the boss was horrible to them. Or maybe she's had some bad news and the boss' attitude is the final straw.
#4: Free Write
This can be a surprisingly effective technique for working through almost any problem (not just writing ones)! If you're stuck or feeling uninspired about your writing, open up a fresh document or turn to a blank page in your notebook. Now write about anything that comes into your mind --
whatever you want.
You might write about your frustration, your writing dreams, your difficulties with the project, and your fears that you're not going to make it as a writer. Or you might focus on very prosaic things, like what's for dinner, or your to-do list. It can be very freeing to simply write, without the goal of needing to produce something to be read ... and hopefully, as you do so, you'll find you gain some insight into your writing
block.
If you're up against a writing block right now, remember it isn't insurmountable (however much it might feel that way). Try one of more of the ideas above this week, and see if it helps.
