Writer’s Block
Posted by Kim on 07 Nov 2007 | Tagged as: Chit Chat
Wikipedia defines writer’s block as a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to begin or continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity. What they don’t mention is that your brain feels like it has been cryogenically frozen, your fingers cramp from their position of hovering over the keyboard, waiting for inspiration, and your heart races from the panic attack of thinking you’ll never write again.
Until writer’s block smacked me upside the head, I’d believed that writer’s block didn’t really exist. You just sat down and wrote through it, right? Ha! If someone said that to me after I’d sat at my computer for two hours and stared at the screen where I’d ended the last scene, I’d have been tempted to choke them. I had absolutely no idea where my characters needed or wanted to go next.
What to do? I went to the best source of help available – my fellow writers on the message boards of RWA Online. Suggestions included talking it out with someone, a critique partner, friend or family member, go back and reread the previous chapters, raise the stakes, go back and add or change the tension, or cut the last scene out entirely and start over.
What worked for me? I had to cut the last scene and raise the stakes. I didn’t have enough conflict and my h/h were spending too much time sitting and talking and not acting.
How do you get past writer’s block?
I can’t say I’ve had writers block-I’ve had times where I’ve written myself into a puddle of exhaustion and have to take a couple of weeks off to get over it (I feel that coming on now)
November 7th, 2007 at 11:19 amUsually if I’m stalled in a manuscript, I just go back and up the conflict and tension, that usually provides a breakthrough moment!
Keep going Kim!
Thanks Kate! I’ve worked through it now but getting stuck was a weird feeling for me. Don’t get too exhausted - get some rest!
November 7th, 2007 at 12:47 pmIt’s not so much that I get writer’s block as I get word block. I can be walking, working, taking a shower - whatever, and have the perfect scene and words materialize in my head. Yet, somehow, when I make it to the computer to get those words down, those same words leave me. I’ll remember the “idea” but not the perfect words. And even the not-so-perfect words flee the scene, making it impossible to even get the idea down. Very frustrating.
But wait, you wanted tips to work through it didn’t you? Yeah, I can’t help you there because I’m thinking pitching the computer out the window isn’t really the best option.
Sorry.
But glad you were able to work through your block. 
November 7th, 2007 at 9:43 pmLaura - there are times when I think pitching the computer out the window is a perfectly good option! Losing the right words is frustrating, I’ve done that too. If anyone has solutions to that one I’d love to hear them too!
November 8th, 2007 at 5:23 am