5 Tips For The Stuck Writer
You're writing and you're all pumped up. You've got a scene in your head, it's creating so much suspense that you're jittery with excitement.
Yet when you sit down to write, nothing comes out.
Maybe a sentence or a paragraph will escape the confines of your mind, but other than that, you're pretty stuck.
Does this sound like you?
If it does, and I'm pretty sure all of you writers have felt this way at one point or another, don't fret! You're not the first to experience this, and you're certainly not the only one. Every writer has his/her off day. But there are tricks to getting around these moments of despair. Hopefully the tricks listed below will help you. If they don't, don't freak out! Every writer is different, you just need time and practice before you come into your own tricks!
1. Find a different spot to write.
If I can't write in my room, I move elsewhere. Most of the time, you need a change of location that will add some inspiration to your writing. If you're usually in a loud environment, maybe you need somewhere more quiet? And vice versa. Try out that new cafe that just opened up, or sit in your backyard with your laptop/notebook/typewriter/whatever you use for writing.
2. Take a breather.
Don't confuse this with a get-out-of-writing card. Taking a break from your current brain freeze isn't an invitation to write tomorrow or sometime later in the week. All you might need is half an hour to an hour away from your work. Watch a movie, go for a walk, read a book, etc.—the point is to distract yourself so that when you get back into writing, you're not focused on how stuck you were before.
3. Plan.
If it's hard for you to write down your thoughts, then jot them down! This way, not only is the scene planned out for right when you need it, but you are basically writing it down like a short form chapter, so what's going to stop you from expanding on those thoughts? All you need is a prompting action to start writing!
4. Have patience, then go.
Sometimes, all you have to do is just keep writing down sentences. If they feel wonky, leave them. If they don't seem right, leave them. This is your first draft, let the editing stage fix those errors. The important thing is to just write. If you're patient, you'll start to notice that you're adapting and breaking out of that block. Slowly, you will start to write that scene that's been eating away at your thoughts.
5. Stop being so specific.
Okay, think about this for a moment: You're so focused on what the characters are wearing, what the world around them looks like at the moment, and etc, that you're not letting your story come out. Instead of writing scenes that move your story along, your focusing on all the wrong details. Not getting the right word or description down may dishearten you and make you weary. Focus on the story, you can add details later. The point is to write your idea down first.
Like I've mentioned, not every writer is the same. In fact, some writers will be impervious to the tips in this list. At the end of the day, it is you the writer who has the power and skill to get out of your slump. I just hope that my tips can help you!
We've talked about writer's block recently, and how each of us overcomes it, but what situations make it the hardest for you to write?
Is it having to push the plot, writing lots of posts in one day, or other things?
I want to know what REALLY blocks you when you're trying to write!
