Do I experience writer’s block and if so what do I do about it? The short answer to the first question is, yes. I don’t know an author out there that doesn’t suffer through a form of writer’s block at some time. As for the second question, if there was a universal cure for writer’s block and I happened to know it, I suspect I’d be writing how to books or speaking at seminars.
I believe that every author endures writer’s block differently. Much like the common cold there isn’t a single ‘cure.’ Just like the cold, there are some remedies or techniques that I’ve found helpful in alleviating my writer’s block. Like any good doctor, it’s important to know a little bit about your patient before you make a diagnosis and offer a remedy.
I’m a fiction writer of contemporary fantasy with a twist of science and also more traditional high fantasy. If my books were ever made into a movie (if you’re interested, please let me know) they’d be safely PG or PG-13. With the exception of my first book, I begin writing with a loose outline of the story. While I sometimes split scenes or move chapters to improve the telling of the story, I generally write it linearly from start to finish. My most common writer’s block issues center on connecting story threads, resolving contradictions, and integrating unplanned ideas into the story.
That said here are the remedies I’ve found most effective.
- Take a nap. Whether it’s because I’m over-tired, my brain is working on too many ideas (as opposed to what most of you suspect), or I’m just getting old, a short nap often does the trick. I’m talking about a five or ten minute catnap.
- If a nap doesn’t work for you or you can’t sleep for a few minutes, another alternative is caffeine. I’m not a big coffee drinker, but when I’m stuck on something a little jolt (usually tea or diet soda) can sometimes get me through the wall. Yeah, I know it’s the opposite of the first remedy, but sometimes you need to try a little George Costanza and “do the opposite.”
- Set it aside for a few hours or even a few days. Work on something else. If you have a blog, write a post. If you don’t, try something else creative – painting, drawing, music, playing with your kids. It’s probably just in my head, but I find that creativity can be contagious.
- Set a daily goal for the number of words, pages, or something that you can track and verify. Try one of the Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) activities. You don’t have to wait until November, groups do this throughout the year. If you can’t find or don’t want to be in a group (some of you may be anti-social, like me) track it and reward yourself for success. Force yourself to write whatever comes to your mind, even if you think it’s junk. I often find slogging on opens doors. Even if a lot of what gets written doesn’t make it through editing, it often leads me past my block.
- Don’t edit while you write. This is one I’m frequently guilty of – yeah I know it’s hard to believe, but I can spend hours on one or two sentences. This is better left for the editing effort after the story’s done. Doing it while you’re writing, can be frustrating and that’s rarely good for the creative process.
- Exercise. I’m a swimmer, so this is not one that comes easily for me (I rarely write near the pool). However, a walk with the dog, a little yard work, or something a little more exciting (use your imagination here) can work wonders.
- If you use an outline you may be able to skip the area giving you trouble. Just move to a later part of the story. It might even help you resolve the blockage. I’ll admit that this is not something I do well. I have tried it a few times. It keeps me writing – again being creative seems to help.
That’s about the end of what I’ve tried. I’d be happy to hear how you deal with writer’s block.
As always thanks for reading,
Armen