Adding a little spice???

ellisnation · Jan 20, 2009

I've hit a big brick wall. What do you do to shake it up a little when you're writing your novel? You know - adding a little spice to the writing process?

I was wondering if any of you ever type up your dialogue and then go back through and fill in the spots with your narrative?

I've spent the last 20K words setting the scene and building tension. Now that I'm at the explosive event that I've been building up to...nothing. I think I wore myself out! I would be grateful for any suggestions

TravisKerr · Jan 20, 2009

Take a deep breath in - remove yourself from the chair, and then go get a coffee. Take a break I say for a day or two if you can.

Come back to it with a clean slate.

But that's just me, I'm not very professional when it comes to writing walls.

peachiemkey · Jan 20, 2009

Whenever I hit a block, I try to take a couple days off. And don't just go back to writing as soon as you feel up to it; wait until you're dying to start writing again!

Even if you have a word count/page goal, com'n - you've written 20,000 words! Do something outside of writing... take a few walks or indulge in that hobby you've forgotten about. Oh, and I've always found that reading helps me remember how to, you know, write. Sometimes just reading a couple pages from one of my favorite novels is all it takes to get me writing again.

TravisKerr · Jan 20, 2009

violettager said:
Whenever I hit a block, I try to take a couple days off. And don't just go back to writing as soon as you feel up to it; wait until you're dying to start writing again!

Even if you have a word count/page goal, com'n - you've written 20,000 words! Do something outside of writing... take a few walks or indulge in that hobby you've forgotten about. Oh, and I've always found reading to help me remember how to, you know, write. Sometimes just reading a couple pages from one of my favorite novels is all it takes to get me writing again.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way

I thought there was going to be some psycho-babel answer for it.

peachiemkey · Jan 20, 2009

TravisKerr said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way

I thought there was going to be some psycho-babel answer for it.

pshplease, I was just kidding. What I meant to say was that perseveration is a hallmark of writer's block. Writers suffering from block often describe the experience of grasping for meaning. In these moments, writers are caught in a cycle of trying to solve a mental problem that is no longer relevant. The trick, she says, is to step away. Take a walk. (Exercise and shock are, apparently, two of the easiest ways of defeating perseveration.) Or have a cup of coffee. (Stimulants are thought to aid in refocusing your attention. But once you become a habitual user, the effects are minimal at best.) The key thing is to get out of the feedback loop. Understanding the neuro-dynamics of writer's block doesn't have to be disempowering. In fact, it can have the opposite effect. Knowing that writer's block really is "all in your head" can free you up. No more self-flagellation. Just step away from the computer, walk to the cafe, and have a cup of coffee. If that doesn't work, you might consider some happy drugs.

... oh wait, I ended up saying the same thing anyway.

(entire paragraph totally not stolen from here)

TravisKerr · Jan 20, 2009

violettager said:
pshplease, I was just kidding. What I meant to say was that perseveration is a hallmark of writer's block. Writers suffering from block often describe the experience of grasping for meaning. In these moments, writers are caught in a cycle of trying to solve a mental problem that is no longer relevant. The trick, she says, is to step away. Take a walk. (Exercise and shock are, apparently, two of the easiest ways of defeating perseveration.) Or have a cup of coffee. (Stimulants are thought to aid in refocusing your attention. But once you become a habitual user, the effects are minimal at best.) The key thing is to get out of the feedback loop. Understanding the neuro-dynamics of writer's block doesn't have to be disempowering. In fact, it can have the opposite effect. Knowing that writer's block really is "all in your head" can free you up. No more self-flagellation. Just step away from the computer, walk to the cafe, and have a cup of coffee. If that doesn't work, you might consider some happy drugs.

... oh wait, I ended up saying the same thing anyway.
(entire paragraph totally not stolen from here)

T_T

Now I feel stupid.

But yes, take a break. Eat some pastries; watch sunsets/sunrises.

And don't forget a good looonnnggg night's sleep, and pay attention to your dreams

ellisnation · Jan 20, 2009

Last night I had a dream about typing... just typing! Grrr

I only have a couple hours a day to write. You'd think the other 22 hours would be break enough. Go figure - I'm a weirdo!

TravisKerr · Jan 20, 2009

ellisnation said:
Last night I had a dream about typing... just typing! Grrr

I only have a couple hours a day to write. You'd think the other 22 hours would be break enough. Go figure - I'm a weirdo!

Well, I've had it where it can take one to two weeks to get over the little slump.

And, ouch, a dream about.... typing? That probably means you need to take a tad of a longer break than you have already ;D

Clair Dickson · Jan 20, 2009

Maybe your subconscious is telling you something... whenever I don't feel like writing it's because I either don't know what's going to happen next or I kind of don't really like it (or the way I thought to execute it.) Once I get an idea for what comes next that I'm happy with, the enthusiasm comes back in a tsunami that tries to come out my fingers all at once.

But that's just me.

I often force myself to work on the story I'm stuck on. If I can't make progress in the narrative, I'll work on hammering out different possible scenarios for the story, starting with where I'm stuck. Sometimes I brainstorm several ideas-- as many as I can, thought I heard 20 was a good number to shoot for-- including crappy ones just to keep the creative juices going.

If you had a deadline, you might not have several days to take a break. Just saying.

Stunted · Jan 20, 2009

ellisnation said:
I was wondering if any of you ever type up your dialogue and then go back through and fill in the spots with your narrative?

I do this a lot.

When it gets really hard, I drink while I write. Probably you're not supposed to do that, though, and it doesn't actually help.

Novelist in Paradise · Jan 20, 2009

Is there snow around? (I wouldn't know -- I'm way over on a tropical Asian beach)
Build a snow man. Pretend it's one of your characters.

ellisnation · Jan 21, 2009

Novelist in Paradise said:
Is there snow around? (I wouldn't know -- I'm way over on a tropical Asian beach)
Build a snow man. Pretend it's one of your characters.

LOL Yep I think we got about 40 inches of snow in December alone!

Hmmmmmm Stunted - drunk writing sounds promising :e2seesaw:

James D. Macdonald · Jan 21, 2009

Write:

Suddenly, without warning, a naked woman screamed!

Then continue from there.

NeuroFizz · Jan 21, 2009

I thought it was the men's locker room. Honest...

LindsayM · Jan 21, 2009

I've got a few methods that work for my clients - and for me. Most are what everyone else has offered - take a break, work on another hobby, read a good book, etc. If you've hit a real wall that you just can't seem to get around, I always recommend reading (or re-reading) The Artist's Way.

And if THAT doesn't work (or if you don't like Julia Cameron, and I know some people don’t) - books on tape (or CD, or mp3). Really! Get a book on tape - fun commercial, light, playful fiction seems to work best. For some reason the act of listening to someone else read you a story while you do some other mindless activity (knitting, driving, cooking, cleaning) really jumpstarts the creative process.

Good luck!

Chris Grey · Jan 21, 2009

Clearly, it is time for a car chase.

(Plot Twist Generator)

stormie · Jan 21, 2009

Throw the ms. into a drawer. Don't look at it on your computer. Give it a few days to a week. Then you should be okay with moving forward.

Another thing to do: go in some totally unexpected direction. For now forget your notes, your outline, your synopsis, whatever. Wing it.

underthecity · Jan 21, 2009

You're at a climactic moment and don't know what to do? It's time for a character shakeup. Even if you end up scrapping this, have the character, who the character in the scene you mentioned hates, walk in and interrupt things.

ellisnation · Jan 21, 2009

I got it! I brought in the mother in law... In laws always seem to have a place in screwed up moments, lol. Or maybe that's just my life story

ellisnation · Jan 21, 2009

Chris Grey said:
Clearly, it is time for a car chase.

Sorry. OJ is not in this book. :roll:

Adding a little spice???

ellisnation

Rhiannon Ellis

TravisKerr

peachiemkey

circuits in the sea

TravisKerr

peachiemkey

circuits in the sea

TravisKerr

ellisnation

Rhiannon Ellis

TravisKerr

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud

Stunted

Ich heiße Superphantastisch!

Novelist in Paradise

Ah, the joys of dengue fever

ellisnation

Rhiannon Ellis

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

NeuroFizz

The grad students did it

LindsayM

Chris Grey

Vagrant Story

stormie

storm central

underthecity

Finestkind

ellisnation

Rhiannon Ellis

ellisnation

Rhiannon Ellis