Writers' Block. Everyone gets it. Everyone hates it.
It's never fun. One day you're writing away and complete two chapters; the next day, everything you touch turns to dirt and the creativity is gone.
Some authors argue that Writers' Block doesn't exist. Lucky them, not to remember when they couldn't write for a week. Trust me, it's real.
Sometimes Writers' Block comes from when you start a story with no real idea of where it's going and you write yourself into a corner. That's happened to me a couple dozen times, and the only solution is to start over, and this time figure out where the plot's going first.
Other times it comes when suddenly you write a great description and completely lost track of the action and can't get back on course. Delete the description for now and backtrack to where you were before. You can stick in the vivid imagery later.
And sometimes it's the same problem in reverse: the action's down to bare bones and nothing is interesting anymore. Well, that's a deeper problem with an underdeveloped character, most likely. You'll need to go back and completely rework your protagonist, and really get in touch with him. If he's just doing and saying and thinking and feeling, but not living, then you don't really know him.
Then there's the type of Writers' Block where you've thoroughly planned the plot, developed the characters, and balanced the action, dialogue, and description, but it's still not interesting. This type of Writers' Block isn't easy to diagnose or fix.
To beat this particular strain of the Block, it helps to analyze it. Look at the plot. Think, What do I need to accomplish in this chapter? It may sound a little like over-kill, but sometimes it helps to write about your writing. Think on paper. Take it one sentence at a time: first the protagonist does this. Then she and her friends do this. Then the bad guy does this, and the henchman says that, and so on until you've got a description of Part Two, or Chapter Thirteen, or one conversation, or what ever small section you choose to outline in this manner.
Mind you, this only works for small sections. Actually, that's another tip: write in small sections. Then when you need to edit that absolutely horrible first draft, or formless second draft, or messy third draft, you don't have as much to copy down.
And so I come to the final piece of advice I have to offer: don't be afraid to write lots of drafts. Your first draft is what nobody on earth but you sees. It can be completely terrible, or even incomplete. Yes, incomplete: if one direction obviously isn't working, stop and restart and try another way. The process I'm describing here is pretty much how I'm writing Magic by the Sea. I have stack of old drafts that's about an inch and a half thick, sorted by chapter and shoved in the back of my binder as reference material.
Here's a few more methods, in no real order:
- Use a binder so you can take out sheets of paper and reorganize or remove them.
- Use pencil. I've learned the hard way that pen leads to messes.
- On a similar note, double-space. It makes it easier to insert things.
- If everything is really just falling apart, then take a break. Whether it's ten minutes to eat some chocolate or two days to celebrate Christmas or a whole week just to read, take a little time off from the desk.
- If you don't want to quit for even ten seconds, try moving to the couch or your bed or a sunnier room or a place with more people in it. A change of scenery prevents you from going insane.
- Work on a different story for a while. Maybe you're just not inspired right now.
- Finally, turn on some music and just listen for a while, or open a book (preferably on writing) and just read. Then, as soon as you get that urge to write, stop and open that dreaded notebook. It might sound too easy, but this has worked for me before.
😊