Noooo! The Writer's Block Monster captured me!

StarryEyes · Dec 10, 2012

I'm stuck in the middle of my novel and I'm just not motivated to write... I was doing okay a couple of weeks ago, even though the part I'm working on isn't the most interesting, but then a lot of things came up (work, family and so on) and I didn't have the time to write anymore. I picked the worst place to take a break, now I just can't get back into the story again...

Advice please?

bearilou · Dec 10, 2012

You've hit the saggy bits.

If the part you're working on isn't interesting you, it most likely won't interest the reader either. So if it isn't interesting, you may want to take a look at it and see if it's actually needed.

I'd say skip ahead a little bit, go to an exciting scene you know needs to be written and write that. Then you can drop back and try to smooth the transition to get there.

Putputt · Dec 10, 2012

Seconding what bearilou said.

For myself, on those days I just have to get myself out of the house and sit myself down at a cafe until I hit my daily word count goal. Also, if you don't have an outline, now may be the time to start one.

And words of wisdom from my favorite author...

“There's no such thing as writer's block. That was invented by people in California who couldn't write.”
--Terry Pratchett

onesecondglance · Dec 10, 2012

You're describing a period where you're bored with what you're writing, so do something to mix it up and get excited about it again. If that's baking cakes in the shape of your characters, making stop-motion animation of your scenes using Barbie dolls, knitting full scale storyboards, or whatever else your imagination needs to get kickstarted again, then go for it. Here are some ideas:

Skip ahead to something where you have a clear idea of what you want to write, and just get going. You can fill in the gaps later.

Or: switch perspectives. Go to a different character's POV. Go first person. Just get yourself writing again, and tidy it all up in the rewrite.

Or: if nothing else works, start something else. Then return to your original WIP at a later date.

Good luck!

IAMWRITER · Dec 10, 2012

As others are saying maybe you should skip that part for the time being and come back to it when you feel motivated to write that or think about if that scene is really needed or if you need to change it slightly.

I skipped a scene in my WIP and managed to get right back into the flow of things.

Hope this helps.

StarryEyes · Dec 10, 2012

Thanks for the advice. I'll try to get to work tonight

Write_Askew · Dec 10, 2012

When I have trouble writing I'll try and put on a new kind of music to see if that shakes something loose. If you are working on a laptop, try moving yourself to a new location so you literally have a different perspective.

Go back to where you stopped and write. Even if it is something to the effect of "Now MC goes to grocery store and sees villain eating candy" keep plugging away until you hit something that makes you want to write more than that. You can always go back later. The trick is to push forward now so you gain momentum.

Cornelius Gault · Dec 15, 2012

I'll probably get dinged on this for my lack of creativity, but I take individual sentences around the area which I want to fix or expand and put them in Google. Then, I look at the results and see what piques my interest. I don't use someone else's words directly, but just use it for getting additional ideas. For instance, just now, I Googled the following line from my story ...

"During their labour, the workers encountered a hard spot in the limestone"

... and came up with these ideas which I added to various locations in my story:

(a) The appearance reminded me of a crypt.
(b) ... such as might be expected to occur occasionally during excavations.
(c) ... and suspended operations ...
(d) Changed "hole" to "cavity" because it sounded better.

Of course, as you go further into the Google pages, the results diverge drastically from your original text. You have to decide how far to go - sometimes, this might be a good thing.

This suggestion is from a first-time writer, but it could be something to stimulate creativity, get you out of a slump or inspire a similar idea for your story.

gingerwoman · Dec 15, 2012

If what you were writing is not that interesting put something interesting in it!

Layla Nahar · Dec 16, 2012

Cornelius Gault said:
... I take individual sentences around the area which I want to fix or expand and put them in Google.

Neat idea!

Animad345 · Jan 4, 2013

I agree with the others. Go ahead and write a scene that excites you. You can go back and fill in the gap afterwards. When I'm stuck in the middle, I write the climax. It always inspires me to carry on. Just keep going!

Jessica_312 · Jan 4, 2013

I also agree with what everyone else said.

If I'm really struggling to write a scene that I'm not at all motivated to write, I'll just force myself to put sentences on the page. Very, very basic sentences stating the bare bones of what happens in the scene. Think second grade, "see Jane run" stuff. Example:

[MC] walks to the door. [Love Interest] is at the other side. MC invites him in. MC is happy to see him. MC and so-and-so sit down and talk. They talk about [insert subject here]. LI asks about [insert question here]. MC opens up to him. MC realizes LI returns her affections. They kiss. End scene.

It's like an outline, only more detailed basically. You're pinpointing every action in the scene but in a very basic way that doesn't involve much thinking. Then, when I'm feeling more motivated, I go back and fill in details/dialogue and make the sentences and paragraphs more authory lol. Sometimes I'll do something similar, only just write the dialogue of the scene and then fill in the action/details later. Whatever works for you, I suppose.

Fantasmac · Jan 4, 2013

I think there's also a time when "butt in chair" is the best you can do. Force yourself to keep moving forward until you get back into the groove. If writing were always easy, a lot more people would be doing it.

Cornelius Gault · Jan 5, 2013

Her's an idea of mine (sorry, new writer).

I have my story divided into named chapters and subchapters in Word. When I want to write, but don't know where to begin, I just look at the Table of Contents (auto-generated in Word) and choose the subchapter that I might like to work on the MOST right now (I do most of my writing on lunch break at work). I then take a breath, go to that subchapter and see how much I can write in 15-20 minutes. The next time, I wouldn't want to work on the subchapter from the previous day, so I will choose another subchapter that I haven't worked on in awhile.

Geoff Mehl · Jan 7, 2013

Some scenes just have trouble written all over them. Could be an emotional rut, could be a necessary but not fun segment of the story, could be lapse of concentration, could be anything.

So don't get anxious. Make some notes to hold your place - what's the scene supposed to do? - and move on to the next scene. When the flow is running again, come back to it and fluff it out to where it belongs.

Or if the goal is just get back into the groove after a layoff, make up a little fun scene with your characters and let them goof around a bit, have a couple of drinks and some snacks, then trudge back to work.

Myrealana · Jan 8, 2013

Maybe it's something about coming off the holidays. I'm mired in writers block, too. I need a change of scenery or a fresh idea or some kind of kick in the pants to start writing something productive. Since New Years, all I've managed to put on paper is me talking around in circles about how I've got no good ideas.

BLAH!

dirtsider · Jan 8, 2013

Step away from the section that's causing you problems. If moving to another section of the story doesn't work, try starting a new WIP. What ever else happens, don't stress about not writing. Let your imagination stew on the subject. Do some research related to your story. If your story's a period piece, watch some history documentaries, even if it's a fantasy that's not related to anything actually historical.

snowbones · Jan 12, 2013

Is it that you don't want to write on that piece or at all? If it's just that piece, work on something else you've been thinking about. If you don't want to write at all, step away for a bit and do something different until motivation strikes you.

thewritersarah · Feb 16, 2013

I agree with what everyone else is saying about stepping away from the troublesome spot and writing something else for awhile. I find that I sometimes write from the middle outward...and you're going to edit it all later anyway.

Have you tried traditional freewriting? Where you set a timer, start typing, and don't stop (at all) until the timer stops? I know it seems basic and silly, but this is how I got over my "mid book slump" for my first book, and it was actually how I resolved some critical issues with my protagonist that had been eating at me. It might be worth a shot. You can either start your freewriting with a question, or just start typing. I always just start with "<character name> is..." and go from there.

teacherwelden · Feb 16, 2013

Jessica_312 said:
I also agree with what everyone else said.

If I'm really struggling to write a scene that I'm not at all motivated to write, I'll just force myself to put sentences on the page. Very, very basic sentences stating the bare bones of what happens in the scene. Think second grade, "see Jane run" stuff. Example:

[MC] walks to the door. [Love Interest] is at the other side. MC invites him in. MC is happy to see him. MC and so-and-so sit down and talk. They talk about [insert subject here]. LI asks about [insert question here]. MC opens up to him. MC realizes LI returns her affections. They kiss. End scene.

It's like an outline, only more detailed basically. You're pinpointing every action in the scene but in a very basic way that doesn't involve much thinking. Then, when I'm feeling more motivated, I go back and fill in details/dialogue and make the sentences and paragraphs more authory lol. Sometimes I'll do something similar, only just write the dialogue of the scene and then fill in the action/details later. Whatever works for you, I suppose.

I do this too....everything that is just notes goes inside square brackets....keeps you moving, otherwise you stop and raid the fridge, clean anything to avoid writing.

Noooo! The Writer's Block Monster captured me!

StarryEyes

bearilou

DenturePunk writer

Putputt

permanently suctioned to Buz's leg

onesecondglance

pretending to be awake

IAMWRITER

QWERTY!!!

StarryEyes

Write_Askew

Cornelius Gault

New writer since 07/2012.

gingerwoman

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

Animad345

Jessica_312

Fantasmac

chronically underwhelmed

Cornelius Gault

New writer since 07/2012.

Geoff Mehl

Myrealana

I aim to misbehave

dirtsider

Not so new, really

snowbones

thewritersarah

teacherwelden