A Writer's Worst Nightmare

So yesterday morning I overcame two weeks worth of the writer's worst nightmare - writer's block. I don't typically get writer's block, but when I do, it takes a while to go away. I'm one of those writers who always has an idea of what might happen next, so when I don't know what happens next, it messes me up and I am forced to cope. Since I don't get writer's block that often, I don't cope with it that well and I wind up procrastinating because of it. Procrastination is another problem, but it's also another article entirely.

So what can you do to overcome writer's block? If you're like most of us, abandoning your book and letting it pass won't typically work, seeing as you're not actually thinking of what will happen next. Sometimes a miracle happens. But miracles don't happen for most of us, we have to work hard. Here's a list of things you could try to do (sometimes they work for me, believe it or not) to overcome your mid-writing session disaster.

Ask someone else for their opinion. Believe it or not, a friend might have an idea. Even a stranger could have an idea. If you're standing waiting for the cashier to scan your groceries, ask him or her for their opinion on what makes a good scene, or tell them a brief summary of what's happened in that chapter and ask them what they would like to see happen next. I did this once while going to buy some ice cream last summer, and I got a pretty good idea of what might happen next in my book because of it. Sometimes your inspiration is where you least expect it - in line waiting for your delicious reward. (Although, the idea in itself is probably reward enough, at least to me.)

Pull a series of random words out of a hat. I've done this before. I'd write random words, let's say for the sake of this article - fire, book, science, microwave, magic, and flooring - on a few scraps of paper, put them in a hat (or a bag, or if that's not available, just close your eyes and pick one), and choose one or two. Sometimes the word itself might give you an idea, because it forces you to apply that specific thing to your story. I typically use fire first, seeing how destructive and jarring to the story it can be, but if that doesn't work, then I try this. If you pulled out the word 'flooring' for example, you could have your character fall through the floor just as they open the door to a certain place. Or they could find a magical item underneath the floor boards of a vacant tavern that jump starts their adventure. No matter what words you think might be useful, they usually do. So just flip through a dictionary or scroll through your electronic dictionary and choose a few. In fact, you could just look through a dictionary and see if any words stand out, or choose some words and try and apply them to your writing, you don't need to pick them out of a hat.

Write something else. Usually, while you're writing something different, you might get an idea for your other book or story. It's happened to me before. I roleplay sometimes with my boyfriend with newly created or older characters, and I wound up integrating their story into my book. It made the book ten times better, and my writing instructor can't wait to see what happens with them. I can't wait to see where it goes either. You don't necessarily need to roleplay with someone else, you could just write down another idea you've had or come up with some new story ideas. Sometimes, your new story ideas can be integrated into the book or story you're writing now, whether as subplots or as deeper character interaction.

Speaking of character interaction, have you met... your own characters? Sometimes, the problem lies not with the scene or your plot, but with your characters. I focus mainly on character depth. As long as you have a basic plot, character depth will always make the simplest of ideas richer and more entertaining. So if you're stuck, maybe you aren't letting your characters speak for themselves. You should try letting them come alive, so to speak. Anything you write, keep it written, and continue onward. You can fix their interaction later.


And last, but probably should be first, don't let your inner editor get the best of you. Sometimes our worst enemies are ourselves, and if you can't conquer that editor inside you that nitpicks every aspect of your story down to the sentence order and wording, you probably won't be able to finish your book. No one ever said your first draft had to be perfect. In fact, it probably should look like crap. It's a sign you're getting somewhere, and even if it does look like crap, at least you can say you finished it - once.

Now you get to read it and let your inner editor come out, and mark down the editing that needs to be done. Then edit. And once you're done that, you get to read your book again a few days later for more edits. Then read it again after a small break, and mark down more, until you can't find anymore problems. Then let someone else read it, and have them mark down the problems. Continue to edit, but make sure you also try and make it what you want it to be, stay true to your characters, let the plot run its course, and you'll have yourself a winning book.

As long as you have determination, you can write that book. It's hard work to be a writer, sometimes harder than any other job, because you have so much in your way. You have to wait for an editor to respond. You have to go through a year of more editing (yes, more editing. Just because you've sent it in doesn't mean you're done! Your editor will likely have something to say about it), and publishing.

But despite all that, the work is worth it because you've created something no one else can imitate (unless they're plagiarizing you, in which case I suggest a lawyer). You've created your very own book, complete with an exciting plot and deep, human-like characters. If you're reading it, you're probably working on your own book, or looking to start one. That's okay! Use the ideas here and see if they work for you. Not everything works for one person, better methods aren't necessarily better for you.

And really, what's more satisfying than looking at your own book on the shelf of your local bookstore? I don't think there's anything like it. (Even though I'm not published yet, I hope to come to this point soon.)