Writers Block - how do you get past it?!

Do you know what's got you blocked? For instance, do you have a flaw in your story logic? Characters acting uncharacteristically? A need to research something?

If you can figure out why you're blocked, it'll be easier to come up with a strategy for getting unblocked.

So, it sounds like it's a combination of story logic and characters. If your victims suddenly become warriors, is there a damn good reason for them to do so? Or is it simply to serve the needs of the plot?

What makes them stiffen their backbones and fight? Why weren't they warriors before and what has changed for them now? Is it a logical, motivated change or does it come out of the blue?

Back track. Read your work as far back as necessary and analyze what's happening. It could be you have a flaw that's forcing you to stop and take a look. If not, reading up on your own work might kick start your idea process again and let you pick up right where you left off.

At some point in the story, ask yourself, "What if...." Let go of where you might have sub-consciously been making the story move toward and take a totally--even absurd--path.

One thing that works for me when I get blocked is that I'll start writing further into the story (I just make sure it is in another color font) and write from there. Eventually, I can come back to the scene that was blocking me and work on it. Of course, that only works if you know where you are going with the direction of the entire story.

I always have multiple projects going at once. This way, I keep working on something while giving myself distance from the project I'm blocked on. Usually, I'm able to pick things up again.

I usually just keep writing, throwing things at my characters to keep them on their feet so the story keeps going (though the things I throw at them have to fit into the logic of the story).

When I got stuck on a plot point though, I had to just stop, go outside, and sit there for a long while, mulling over all the options of which direction the plot should take to reach where I wanted it to go. I looked at each option, thought over what each one would entail if I followed it, weighed the pros and cons of each choice, and, most important of all, thought about how each choice would affect the outcome I wished to reach. (Sure, Choice #1 might sound easiest or most logical right now, but taking it through to its conclusion, would it really be?) Then I went with the option which fit my desired outcome the most. THEN I thought up the events that should lead to this point, so I would know what to write next so it all fit together. (I'm not an outlining type, but every so often I have no choice.)

It sounds like you might be in a similar position, so there's nothing wrong in stepping back from the story and taking some time to just think hard over where it needs to go next, and maybe daydream a little about the different possibilities of how it will get there. Worked for me.

Either way, good luck.

For me... when I take a shower I get flooded (sorry for the bad pun) with good ideas. Probably because whilst in the shower I can't really write anything down.

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc said:

For me... when I take a shower I get flooded (sorry for the bad pun) with good ideas. Probably because whilst in the shower I can't really write anything down.

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When I get stuck on a scene, I tend to get my best solutions while either taking a shower or driving in my car. I think it's because it frees up my imagination to work out the problem. And if it's the correct solution, it will stick with me until I'm in a position to write it down.

Oddly enough, the shower also works for me. In fact, some days I take three or four!

(Er, sorry about that unattractive mental picture....)

KWHolland said:

Oddly enough, the shower also works for me. In fact, some days I take three or four!

(Er, sorry about that unattractive mental picture....)

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Well, cleanliness is... admirable!

Glad I'm not the only one who gets idea-struck in the shower.

Baths work great too. With salts and candles.

I know it's tough being stuck but take heart. Sometimes writer's block signals that you're going into uncharted territory. If you dare to go on, it may end up being some of your edgiest and freshest writing. It's also great practice for perseverance, a necessary skill especially when you get to the marketing stage.

Ugh. Marketing. Ugh!

When I'm stuck, I usually can't figure out exactly why I'm stuck, so I will talk to my husband. I try to talk about my current problem, because that's the only thing I'm stuck on, right? Though usually just by talking to him, I'm able to figure out a lot more about the story, the characters, their backstories, the world, etc. just by talking to him. And yeah, sometimes the conversations are a bit one-sided, but usually just voicing ideas helps. Besides, I figure if an idea sounds really stupid when I'm trying to explain it to my husband, even if he isn't listening to me, then it'll probably sound stupid to everyone else.

Yttar

First, congrats on getting this far.

My suggestion is to "not panic", thinking you've hit some fatal flaw in your story. Many stories require suspension of belief, and the reader just goes with the flow if the story is good.

Second, just put some kind of bookmark at this point in the story. Then write the rest as if this bump in the road doesn't exist. Then go back to this with fresh eyes and if the story is great, you will eventually find a way to press through this and other inconsistencies.

I wrote a monster sized Epic Fantasy, and this happened to me multiple times, and after doing exactly this same thing, I've learned not to get bent out of shape when something needs to be fixed.

It's kind of like a home makeover. You paint whatever is in reach, and when you see that ninety percent of the rooms are painted, the hard parts don't seem as bad. "Oh, I just have to find a way to get that little piece that seems out of reach."

I've got a similar situation in a story I'm writing - a HUGE plot hole I just can't get round. I've finished the rest of it, gone back to revise and edit other stories and made loads of notes on new ideas (I get most of mine just as I'm falling asleep so stagger around scribbling random notes on pieces of paper!) but I still can't think of a suitable solution. I think I know deep down I need to do heavy rewrites but I'm not ready for that. Luckily I have more than enough to keep me busy for now.

Hope you find your answer. I think getting past writer's block is a personal thing i.e. whatever works for you, but in general I think the key is keep writing!

Clare

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc said:

For me... when I take a shower I get flooded (sorry for the bad pun) with good ideas. Probably because whilst in the shower I can't really write anything down.

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You can write stuff down I have a finely honed shower-writing technique lol. What you do is you write with your finger on the steam/ condernsation of the plasticky/glass walls of the shower. That doesn't work on tiles though, obviously, and you can't fit much in either. It steams up again after a while, but if you keep rewriting over it, then you can keep it 'til you get out

Yes, I am mad.

Popimoore said:

You can write stuff down I have a finely honed shower-writing technique lol. What you do is you write with your finger on the steam/ condernsation of the plasticky/glass walls of the shower. That doesn't work on tiles though, obviously, and you can't fit much in either. It steams up again after a while, but if you keep rewriting over it, then you can keep it 'til you get out

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You could use soap crayons.