Welcome back to Motivational Monday! Been writing? I hope so.
What the heck is “writer’s block” anyway? Well, it can hit you just about any time, or so I’ve been told–at the beginning of your book, the muddled middle, and toward the end.
Now those of you who are plotters, shouldn’t have this problem, because you supposedly know what you’re going to write in the next scene, and the one after that, and the one after that one. But I’ve heard plotters get this “illness,” as well as pantsers.
What causes it? And what can you do about it?
I believe that your characters are trying to tell you something. Either you’re going down a path they wouldn’t think of traveling, or you’re having them do something they wouldn’t do. My solution is to talk to your characters, via your journal. Ask them what’s wrong. Listen for the answer, then write it down.
We pantsers are more likely to go down dead ends than you plotters, and that can give you a bad case of the blahs. “Where am I supposed to go from here?” you ask. Again, journal about it and ask your characters. Work out the problem through free writing.
If this is too weird for you, just before you go to bed ask your character what they want to do. Keep your journal by your bed, because you’re going to wake up with the answer. While you’re asleep, your subconscious is working on the problem. It never sleeps. When dawn breaks, it will roust you with the solution to your problem.
These things may seem simplistic, but I’ve found that they work. Why not give them a try.
Happy Reading, Writing and Journaling to you all,
Jill-Ayn
Leave a Reply