September 30, 2019
How do you move past writer’s block?
It happens. I’m sitting there staring at the screen and the words won’t come. I know where I want the story to go, but I don’t know how to get it there.
Writer’s Block. What’s the cure?
It was worse back in the days when I wrote poetry. There would be days when the words flowed without effort and then weeks when the words vanished. But poetry was a passion and I understood the ebb and flow. I had other creative outlets to fill in the voids. Until I realized that it had been a year since I’d written a poem and I panicked.
At the same time, I was involved in classes for a very logic-driven career field, and I think the right and left sides of my brain were at war. The left side was winning.
That’s also about the time when I first tried my hand at writing a book. The first one stunk, but it was a learning experience. And I got hooked. It also appears that both sides of my brain contributed to the effort and allowed the words to come.
That’s not to say I still don’t go through brief periods of being blocked.
Sometimes I just don’t know where the story wants to go. And sometimes the stories don’t want to go where I want them to. We’ve talked about this before.
But with my stories, I have a different way of dealing with the dreaded writer’s block. I go back and edit. Normally I don’t do any major editing in one of my works in progress until I’ve completed the first draft. Why put a lot of work into editing something I may get rid of in the end?
But minor editing helps to clear my mind and reminds me of where the story is going. It puts me back in touch with my characters. It helps me see what is going right and what is going wrong. And that, in turn, helps me see where the story is going so I can get back to writing.
So far, I haven’t had to deal with not having ideas for my next book. I’ve got enough ideas tumbling around the back of my head to last for several years. Heck, I’ve got a whole new series I’d like to start. Or two. Maybe three.
The other thing that can help me is reading. Sometimes getting my mind off my own story and into someone else’s is what it takes. A vacation, of sorts. Because I think my love of writing developed from my love of reading, it’s not so much a break as it is a reminder of what got me where I am in the first place.
So, there you have it. The two major things I do to break writer’s block. Or three, if you count totally changing what I write!
Now join me, please, as I head to the tiles below to find out how the other authors on this hop combat writer’s block. Don’t forget to leave a comment if you are so inclined!
September 30, 2019
How do you move past writer’s block?
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is Jake, Harmony’s ex-lover. He’s based on no one but himself. I’m still not sure if he’s a bad guy pretending to be good or a good guy pretending to be bad, he won’t reveal his secrets. But, I have found pictures that I think represent him perfectly. So, just for fun, here’s Jake!
“Eli,” I called, “can you see Jake?” The strobe light shone in my direction every few seconds, blinding me on each pass.
you want to sit for a while, there’s a bench near the top of the waterfall.”
in my recent reads. Aha, there it is! Hook, Dead to Rights, by Melissa Snark. It’s a different take on the classic Peter Pan. Much different. The story had enough twists to keep me guessing who was the hero and who was the villain until near the end. The second book, Hook, Dead Wrong, is on my TBR list.
Take my book Wolves’ Knight as an example. I’d planned out a romance subplot for Tasha, my main character, and even started writing the scene where she and the planned romantic lead got hot and heavy with each other. And promptly got stuck, because she started fighting me. She had a different idea about how things should go. I had to set my ego aside and swap up the plot to satisfy her.