Sculpting from the Writer's Block

Whenever I feel like I'm hitting writer's block I try to remember that a block is a vessel. A block of wood, a block of ice, a block of marble; they contain all the elements needed for the sculpture that awaits within. I just have to start chiseling at it. So it isn't that I don't have any ideas when I think I have writer's block. I'm not blocked by something. I'm just looking at the possibilities of everything and feeling overwhelmed by it.

Sometimes I just pound away at it. Chisel without thinking. Start writing more and more ideas, more and more possibilities. Like doing improv. Just keep acting out the situation on paper until you find the right one. (See also Jensen girls' great March 7th UCW blog post on "Facing Failure.")

I like to do that, but first I like to (if you'll excuse my using the incredibly popular phrase):
Let. It. Go.

For me, walking away helps.

Walking away doesn't mean that I'm not working on it, though. I recently read that the mind spends nearly 80 percent of its time reviewing experiences and creating hoped-for scenarios (both the way we wish things had happened in the past, and how we hope things will happen in the future).

So while we walk away, our subconscious is doing a great deal of work. (I wish it worked the same way with the treadmill.)

Ever notice that if you try to look at a specific spot at a distance when it's dark, that it is hard to see that spot? You have to look to the side of your desired object, and "see" it through your peripheral vision.

One of my favorite activities for taking my mind away from staring at that issue that I don't know how to fix, is reading poetry. The tight language, the exquisite imagery, that combination of brevity and beauty, does magical things to my brain. It makes walking to the mailbox become an internal iteration on the loveliness of nature. It's a mental breath of fresh air. A cleanse, as it were. Like blowing my nose. Except it's my mind. So, I guess I'm blowing my mind.

So, take a minute. Breathe deep. Take a walk. Read some poetry. Wander through a gallery. Take a few days to do other things. And then go back and just write. Anything. Write it all. Write a million versions of what could happen. Write it in the style of The Muppets, Andy Warhol, Republicans vs Democrats. Write it as a haiku. Write it as a poem written by each character. Blow it all out there.

Blow your mind.

Stuck

I love my critique group, but they are a picky lot. I began to clean up my NaNo story and gave them the first chapter. This was after reviewing notes from various sources on how to start with a dynamo beginning. Of course, they would only be awestruck with such wisdom in my arsenal.

They weren’t.

They offered suggestions and I’ve spent all week trying to make repairs. I’ve looked at it, re-read, re-typed a phrase here or there, looked at it some more, and an hour later, closed the lid to my laptop. I’ve repeated this several times and I’m stuck.

Being stumped is a major time-suck. I’ve dealt with this in several manners. A butt-in-chair mentality seems like a good idea. Keep typing and inspiration will strike, something will come. Good old-fashioned stick to it-ness usually works. Yet, staring at a screen with little keyboarding has only killed a few hours and did precious little to advance the story.

I tried a different approach. I pulled out another project I’m revising and spent a night on that. But the next day I was still stuck. I ignored writing altogether and read the next night; didn’t work.

I figured I’d just Google “writer’s block,” trade one time-suck for another. That ranged from interesting, to does not apply, to the bizarre. One site said to talk to a monkey – to explain what you’re really trying to say to a stuffed animal or cardboard cutout. Seriously. (Would talking to my dogs work as well?) I’m not sure if “writer’s block” is the correct term. Maybe I need a better phrase to put in the search field. Bottom line: writing-wise, one more evening wasted, though I was entertained.

Seems like the best thing to do is to put it away for a while. The critiquers are just going to get the next chapter. One of these days I’ll open it and try again.

It’s either that or start talking to stuffed animals.

What do you do when you’re stuck?

Help! How Do I Write a First Draft?

By Julie Daines


So, I've written three complete novels. One to be published late next year.

I just finished my third a week or two ago.

And now, as I stare at a blank Scrivener document, I can't remember how to write something new.

Oh sure, I have lots of stories percolating in my brain. I don't have writer's block per se.

I just can't remember how to get the ball rolling.

So I need your advice.

What are your tips and trade secrets to spewing out that first draft? Do you outline? Do you wing it? Do you write without chapter divisions? Do you write in scenes? Where do you go to generate plot ideas? What is your one, fail-proof step that helps you get the story flowing?

Please feel free to elaborate!

Weekend Writing Prompt

More writing prompts from "The Writer's Book of Matches: 1,001 Prompts to Ignite Your Fiction"

• "Being around you people makes me feel like a genius."
• An army private learns that he has to go back to war for a second tour.
• "I . . . love you?"
• A man sneezes painfully. He looks into his handkerchief and finds something that looks like a microchip.

Pick one that speaks to you and get writing! Find more information about this book at www.freshboiledpeanuts.com

Weekend Writing Prompt

More writing prompts from "The Writer's Book of Matches: 1,001 Prompts to Ignite Your Fiction"

• A father learns that his son has decided to pursue a career as a makeup artist
• Two convenience store employees are stuck at work during a blizzard.
• As they explore their newly purchased home, a young married couple finds a bloody knife under the stairs.
• An arthritic violinist attempts to compose her final opus.

Have fun! Find more about this book at www.freshboiledpeanuts.com

Weekend Writing Prompt

Writing prompts can be canned starts to writing, but they can also be invaluable if you have writer's block. You can take a writing prompt and get hundreds of different story ideas - depending on your mood, your personal experiences, and how you connect with the idea at the moment that you read it. You can recycle the same writing prompt over and over again, writing from different points of view, different settings, and different situations, and then you could give the writing prompt to a classroom full of 9th graders and get another 40 stories that you didn't even dream of when you were writing from the same prompt.

If you have a goal to write something every day, then writing prompts are a good way to fill in on the days when you just can't think of anything good to say.

These writing prompts comes from "The Writer's Book of Matches: 1,001 Prompts to Ignite Your Fiction" Written by the staff of Fresh Boiled Peanuts at www.freshboiledpeanuts.com. In the book's introduction, it says, "Light a match and start a fire. You work with a prompt, you start a story."

A few writing prompts to chose from:

• "Well, if you could accuse anyone of being downright evil, it would be him."
• "I just had the weirdest dream about you."
• A man aspiring to be a pro bowler loses to his young daughter
• While digging in a cereal box for the toy surprise, a child makes a grisly discovery.

Another great way to make a writing prompt keep on giving, is to take it and change some of the details. For example change "A man aspiring to be a pro bowler loses to his young daughter" to "A man aspiring to be a chess master loses to his young daughter." let your imagination run wild!