Writer's block, part 2

Last week, I talked about how writer’s block can hold us back from writing when we have a few minutes—and, more importantly, why writer’s block can have such a hold on us in the first place. But today, let’s look at some solutions. This post is a little longer because writer’s block can rear its ugly head in several ways, and it helps to be able to recognize those ways if we want to overcome them. Here are some specific ways our condemnation of ourselves can present as writer’s block:

I’m afraid of ruining my WIP. This is the one that I’m most susceptible to: the fear that, once I start writing, not only will my WIP get worse, but I won’t even realize it. Fortunately I have a great writers’ group that can help me sort out whether my book is actually getting worse, but even before going to my friends with a worry about my book, I can usually unblock myself with a simple trick:

Don’t think.

Seriously, the time I’m most vulnerable to this cause of writer’s block is when I’ve set a time for myself to write, and once the time is approaching, I’m thinking about how I won’t use my time well and will actually make things much, much worse. But once I realize that’s how I’m thinking, I can give myself permission to forget about it until my writing session comes. Then, when it’s time to actually write, I can do my writing instead of my thinking and my worrying.

I don’t have any ideas. You have ideas. You’re a human being (I’m assuming; I can’t actually see you right now). Whenever I’ve thought I don’t have any ideas, I’ve always been wrong. My mistake was in immediately rejecting the ideas I did have and labeling them as “no ideas,” at least no ideas worth writing about.

But what does “worth writing about” mean anyway? Literature is full of subjects that someone at some point thought was unworthy of the printed word. If you think you have no ideas, try losing the filter on your ideas for a while. Keep a notebook to jot down your thoughts and observations. After a while, you’ll find one that stands out from the rest even though, to you, it’s definitely NOT an idea. Do some freewriting around this thought. It could lead to a story if you’re patient with it.

I don’t know where to begin. Usually this happens at the start of something new—a book, a short story, or even a chapter—instead of in the middle of something. I try to avoid this by writing until I DO know where something is going, and then I leave a little note in brackets about what happens next. Then, when I return, I can pick up where I left off.

But if you’re already in this mess, try some prewriting, perhaps in another document. You can jot down an outline, random lines that you think the story might need, some freewriting—whatever you need until you’ve found a reasonable beginning (which will probably change in your second draft anyway).

I’m torn between writing and doing something else. This is another one that’s pretty common for me. It might be a question of writing or doing something else, or it might be, “Should I write for my WIP right now, or should I work on that short story I’ve had in mind?” And that can be tough.

But you know what’s worse than picking the wrong project to work on? Picking NO project to work on because you just sat there wondering which to choose! Believe me, I’ve done that. So this is another area where I try not to think about the decision too long. I ask myself if I have a deadline coming up, if anyone is waiting to see either thing that I’m working on. Next, I ask myself, “What will be more productive (that is, giving me more direction for revision), taking a continuation of my WIP to my writers’ group or showing them brand-new Project B?” Usually my WIP wins out, but either way, I know I’m making a rational decision—and then I can move into whatever crazy, fun thing I’m writing that day.

Everything I write seems really, really crappy right now. Seriously, you have no idea. And really, “don’t think”? Easier said than done! Agreed. (To the last part. Not the part about your writing being crappy. Don’t let a random person on the Internet tell you your writing is crappy.) In fact, this one deserves its own post because it’s the thing that can keep all of the above suggestions from working for you.

So next week, as you write, see if any of these potential blocks come up for you—and see if you can dismantle them with these suggestions. If not, come back next week for a more in-depth approach to writer’s block—that is, what has worked for me when the quick(er) fixes just aren’t cutting it.

You know what? Come back next week anyway. It’ll be fun!