Writing Wall

If you know what you want to happen, then you simply have to write it.

I know that's obnoxious advice, sorry. What I mean is, write it any which way you can without worrying about whether it's any good. Sometimes, when I know what happens next, I get really stuck in the transitional material. It can be helpful to just skip it. If there's a line of dialogue or an image that I know is going to be in there, I'll just summarize up until that point and then start writing from there.

When I have this happen, I don't like to continue on my WIP because I don't want to force anything out that isn't working and then have to worry about more revisions later on.

So I have a separate file of writing that I don't much need to have anything happen to. I can write, and not worry if it's bad. Of course I don't want to write crap because I don't want to train myself to do that (of course it probably is crap), but it's just to open up those synapses and get myself in the mood sometimes. After I do that for a bit, I can switch over to my current work and I've warmed up, so to speak. I have to just keep writing.

Have you had a look at the Writer's Block section here on AW? I'm sure you'll find plenty of ideas there!

Perhaps you just need to spend some time actually brainstorming. Do you outline?

Maybe if you sit down to write a basic scene breakdown or a rough timetable, you'll give yourself precise goals to work towards, i.e. today or this week I'm writing this particular scene/chapter, regardless of how extensive/brief it is. That way you won't have to stare at your screen trying to figure out both content and wording at the same time.

Write some random dialogue. Always works for me. Start by talking to your MC, or even a minor character:

"Hey, what's up?"
"..."
"Damn it, talk to me!"
"..."

Except when they don't want to talk.

Also, a long walk, alone, don't bring distractions like an iPod or a dog or a friend.

Also, read the last thing ALOUD which you wrote and see if it carries you into the next thing.

Also, read something else, not written by you. Get out of your genre. Read some badly-written wikipedia articles. (That ought to jump-start anybody, though I realize many articles are well-written.)

I read short stories when I'm stuck, which isn't often. They're short. They don't take long and usually I come away with, I can do as good (or better) than this, so why am I not writing?

I hear some folks try out that "write or die" app. Seems a bit extreme to me, but you might give it a try.

I hereby give you permission to write something truly stupid and atrocious, as long as you promise to fix it and make it awesome after you've moved past it and finished your book.

Often, we find it hard to start (or to continue) because we want so badly to write something really good (and who doesn't?), and the idea that what we type next might not live up to standards kind of paralyzes our fingers and our brains.

In situations like that, I remind myself that it's okay to write something super-crappy and lame to fill that space just so I can move forward and get into the plot, or the characters, or the prose, or whatever is stoking my fire that day. And I do write a lot of lame, throw-away stuff just to get over the hump. I flag it in the manuscript and fix it during revisions, but I don't worry about whether it's the best I can make it be until I'm actually in the revision stage.

Give it a try. Just write something dumb. It's fine to do that. Nobody but you will ever see your early drafts!

*hugs* We've all been there.

I'm in a similar situation to you, I think. If you kicked butt during NaNo it sounds like you work well to a deadline. Set a goal -- 30k in a month, or 10k in a week -- and annihilate it. Pretend it's another NaNo if it helps. Maybe that'll lubricate the machinery and help get stuff done.

Wringing the neck of Writer's Block

Take a seat and get comfortable in front of the keyboard.

Poise your fingers above the keys.

Close your eyes.

Let a vision from in your mind,

for one full minute,

with your eyes firmly closed tight,



Play Wack-a-Mole.





Well . . .


You could also write about fending off the monster living in the bottom, right hand side, drawer of your desk.

Opps ................


Let a vision form in your mind,

I actually just push writing away and watch movies. There's always a chance from watching a film, I just might pick up dialogue or an idea that would get me inspired to write.