Article #3 on strategies to combat writer’s block
This article is the third in my series Is it writer’s block or is it an excuse? discussing possible causes of writer’s block and strategies that help me get moving again.
You come up with a brilliant idea. You jump in and pound word after word onto the page. This is so easy! You’re in the zone.
You write for days. Five pages, ten pages, more, brimming with wonderful words, then suddenly…nothing. The word-tap turns off. There are no more words.
Or, that brilliant idea bubbles away in your brain for a little while. This idea is so amazing. Why hasn’t someone else thought of it before? Readers are going to be blown away when they see it. This book’s going to be the talk of the town.
You can’t wait any longer. You can’t deprive humanity of this story for one more minute. You sit down, open a new document or a notebook, all fired up, but…nothing. No words.
This type of writer’s block can be a sign that there’s something wrong with your idea or the execution of your idea. It might still be the best idea ever, but your brain feels like something’s not quite right. So, it dams the word river but doesn’t tell you why.
You’ve probably been thinking about this idea for a while. You’ve got notes capturing the essence of the story or article.
If it’s fiction, you might have some plot points (or even a whole plot). You know every little thing about the characters that are going to pull this amazing feat off.
If it’s non-fiction, you may have an outline or introduction or conclusion. You think you know exactly what you need to say.
You’re at the point where you just want to start writing this beast and set it free.
But the words have missed the invitation to the writing party.
I have a couple of stories that I’ve been trying to get off the mark for at least a year. I have copious notes for both, even a few chapters and scenes written. The premises of both stories seem ok on the surface. But, every time I try to write more, something feels a bit off, and I can’t get the words to start.
The problem is that I can’t see the trees for the forest.
My stories are big amorphous entities that look pretty on the outside, but I can’t see the detail. I can’t zoom in and see where the scene branches reach out and touch the next chapter tree.
I know there’s something wrong, but I can’t put my finger on what it is. I can see where the stories start and where they’re going. But something’s missing. Some logic is escaping me.
If you find yourself truly stuck for words, like me, you need to have a closer look at your underlying idea and how you’re trying to execute it. You need to pinpoint the problem before your brain will let you write any more.
Stop trying to write and work out what the problem is. Only then, will the words start coming again.
What you could try
Revisit the underlying idea
- Is it strong enough to sustain the whole story or article to the end?
- Have you wrung as much from it as possible?
- Is it never going to get any longer?
You may need to rethink your whole premise, what you’re trying to say, or the type or length of story or article you’re trying to write.
If your underlying idea is not strong enough to carry the whole story, you need to work out ways of strengthening it. Add stuff or prop stuff up but don’t just add filler for the sake of making it longer.
In fiction, you might need to come up with some more plot points. In non-fiction, consider changing the focus, or finding more evidence to illustrate your point.
If you’ve truly said all you can say, or there are only so many steps that can take you from your A to your Z, you might need to accept that that’s it. Put it down and back away slowly.
Revisit the journey
- Is it logical? Where does it start and where does it end?
- Is there a missing link?
- Are things happening in the wrong order?
Your story or article needs to flow seamlessly from one scene or thought to the next. Check that the order you’ve got is logical and that you haven’t missed a step.
If you’re a plotter or outliner, go over your plot or outline again and again until you’re sure it’s not missing anything. If you’re a pantser, try writing a brief outline so you can see how you’re getting from A to Z.
Make sure you’re starting in the right spot and ending in the right spot for this story or article.
Don’t be afraid to change the path. Just because you initially thought you were going one way, or saying one thing, doesn’t mean you have to stick with that exact route.
Revisit what you think you’re trying to say
- What are you trying to say? Can you explain it in one sentence or one short paragraph?
- Is this idea the right vehicle to say what you want to say?
- Is it sending the right message?
Just because you thought you were saying X, doesn’t mean you can’t change to say Y if that’s where it’s heading.
Consider your assumptions and biases. Think about who’s going to read this. Maybe you know more than your audience and you’ve left information out that they need. If there any parts of your idea that might make a reader think ‘This doesn’t make sense’, rework them.
It can help to talk to someone who doesn’t know what you know to get a different perspective.
Revisit your characters’ relatability
- Will your target reader relate to your characters?
- Do your characters have relatable flaws, lives, and backstories?
- Are your characters too passive or too lucky?
Readers don’t want to spend time with characters they don’t relate to. Make sure your characters have genuine flaws and realistic wants and needs.
Don’t give them stories and histories that are too out there. Don’t orphan them by killing their parents in a volcano eruption, then kill off their brother in a freak water-skiing accident, then have them get their dream job by being randomly noticed on the street, then have a child turn up who was adopted at birth and raised in South Korea. Bring it back down to Earth.
Make sure their relationships are not all sweetness and rainbows. Have them occasionally get angry with their spouse or parent or best friend.
Keep it real, as the cool kids say.
Revisit your characters’ actions and agency
- Are they thinking and acting in line with their personalities and backgrounds?
- Do they have good reasons to be doing what they’re doing?
- Are they overpowered or too submissive? Do things just happen to them?
A character who’s shown no interest in helping others is unlikely to suddenly sacrifice themselves for a stranger without a darn good reason.
A passive, mousy character won’t suddenly step up to lead the group when the original leader dies just because your story needs them to.
Make sure your people act in character and that they have enough agency to fix their own problems. Don’t let them rely on luck or external factors.
Revisit the conflict, action, and tension
- Is your story too passive?
- Is there enough conflict, action, and tension?
- Are the problems solved too quickly or too easily?
All stories need conflict. No one wants to read a story about normal people doing normal things.
Make your characters suffer and encourage them to put in some effort to resolve their own issues. Make sure the character arcs are logical and believable.
Have them be the cause of some of their problems rather than relying on external things happening to them. Make them and come up with solutions, but not too quickly or easily. Make them work for it.
Revisit expected tropes and scenes
- What genre are you writing in?
- Do you know what tropes and scenes readers expect to see in your genre?
- Are the expected tropes noticeable to readers of your genre?
Trope is not a dirty word. Tropes are not evil. There are certain things readers expect from their fiction depending on the genre. Many one-star reviews are caused by authors trying to be clever and original and ignoring expected tropes.
A monster story is not a monster story if there’s no monster.
A mystery story is not a mystery story without a mystery and some clues.
Know what’s expected from your genre and make sure those scenes and tropes are there. Be clever in how you write the tropes and expected scenes, but don’t be too obscure. Make sure the tropes and scenes are recognisable to fans of that genre.
Revisit what to include and what to leave out
- Are you describing things that the reader doesn’t really need to know?
- Are you telling where you should be showing?
- Does every scene move your story forward or every sub-idea contribute to the conversation?
Say what needs to be said and say no more than that. Leave out the filler.
Readers are not stupid. You don’t have to tell them every little detail about your character, your setting, your plot. Let them work some stuff out for themselves. If it doesn’t matter that Silas has black hair, leave it out and let the reader imagine whatever hair colour they want.
Writing is a contract between the writer and the reader. The writer provides the idea and the reader provides the imagination. Writers are also readers, so your reader brain may be balking at something your writer brain isn’t seeing.
Talk to someone
- Have you got someone you can talk to about your idea?
If you have supportive people around you, they may be able to help you work out what’s wrong and how to get going again.
If you don’t, or you worry that your idea will be ridiculed or stolen, then talk to yourself or someone imaginary. Write yourself a letter explaining your idea, then read that letter back to yourself and see if your idea makes sense.
There are a million more questions you can ask and places that your story or article might be going wrong. Your brain knows there’s something wrong, but it can’t tell you exactly where.
Only you know your idea and what you’re trying to say. Only you can work out what questions you need to ask to get yourself moving again.
Don’t be afraid to stop working on that piece and put it aside if the words really won’t come or you feel you’ve lost interest.
There are plenty more ideas in the world.
“A little writer’s block can be a good thing. Your inner-literary critic’s way of gently letting you know you’re really stinking up the joint. You’re off track. Lost in the weeds. Need to go back and rethink things.” Quentin R. Bufogle
