A writer is sailing through her story. She has a clever idea, an exciting build-up, and a character who is going to set the world on fire. Then, midway through the first draft she realizes something: She has no idea what happens next.
She scurries back to her outline and read what she had planned to happen. It sounded good when she wrote it, but now it reads like a kindergartener's plot! What was she thinking? Who told her that she could write in the first place? Maybe she should just throw it all out and start over. Maybe she should just throw it out, period.
Writers who find themselves assaulted by such thoughts should realize that they are not alone. All writers have to deal with writer’s block sooner or later. Writer’s block—that feeling of suddenly reaching a dead end in the middle of your story—usually comes when the writer has expectations of herself that are too high, or expectations of the story that are not well thought out. Sometimes it comes from fear—the fear that one misstep will send the story plunging into a creative abyss.
Writers who find themselves getting stuch should not get discouraged. Writer's block is a normal part of the creative process; if the writer continues plugging along, she'll soon come out of it. In the meantime, here are a few suggestions to help stay the course:
Take a Short Break
1. Go for a walk. Getting fresh air and physical exercise helps writers feel better, and makes it easier for them to tackle the problem with gusto.
2. Put the project aside for a few days. Getting away from the project can yield a fresh perspective on it. The only catch is that the writer has to actually come back to the project at some point. Having a "due date" to return to writing can make sure that the project isn't shelved indefinitely.
3. Discuss the problem with other writers. Sometimes, just talking the problem out will help the writer arrive at her own solution. The perspective of other writers can also give her a new slant on things. One word of caution: Other writers may try to solve your problem for the writer, or they may offer solutions based on how they would write the story. This is all well and good, but every writer should understand that they are not asking fellow professionals for advice. They are merely using them as a sounding board (which may sound mercenary, but it's not. We all need a sounding board from time to time. They're usually called friends). When others offer advice, the writer should listen politely but reserve all creative decisions for herself.
Use Short and Crappy Writing (On Purpose)
4. Break the problem down into smaller problems. Writer Anne Lamott said that a writer needs two things to begin, one of which is a short first assignment. Writers can shorten their assignment by breaking the story down into acts and then into scenes. The writer should consider what must happen in each scene and how each scene contributes to the overall story. (Hint: If a scene can be removed without damaging the overall story, it should be removed.) The same can be done with characters. The writer should ask how each character contributes to the overall story. (Hint: If a character doesn't make a significant contribution . . . well, astute writers can guess the rest.)
5. Write a crappy draft. The other thing a writer needs, according to Lamott, is a crappy first draft. (Well, she didn’t write “crappy," but this is an all-ages website.) This will be a draft that no one will see but the writer, and nothing is set in stone until the final draft is written (and sometimes not even then). Giving oneself permission to write badly can liberate the writer from fear of failure.
6. Skip the troubling section and come back to it later. Who says that every scene has to be written in sequence? Films are not shot in sequence. Comics artists often draw later parts of a script first. Writers can do the same thing: Write the parts that are clearer or more meaningful first.
7. Kill the main character! Again, nothing is set in stone. But by doing the unexpected, the writer can make the story exciting to herself again. Back in the 1980s, DC's Suicide Squad comic book suddenly became much more interesting when central character Rick Flagg was killed off and replaced by secondary character Amanda Waller as the new lead.
Whatever the causes, writer's block can be an opportunity for the writer to examine the story in greater depth, decide what is really important to it, and weed out the deadwood.
Above all, writers should not give up.
Source:
Lamott, Ann. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Pantheon, 1995.
