Post by chromeknickers on Mar 12, 2016 10:56:27 GMT -5
Every writer hits a wall at some point, whether it's a scene that won't fit, a novel that's not working or the inability to write a single sentence. This is known as writer's block. However, the common error for writers is to refer to it as such, as blocked. Try thinking of it as being stuck.
We're word people. Stuck is a temporary situation. Stuck is a delay. Blocked is more permanent. Blocked is being forced to stop. It may sound silly, but words have power. Thinking I'm blocked, I may never write again is terrifying. Thinking I'm stuck, how the heck am I going to get out of this? is just frustrating. You can deal with frustrating. Being stuck also points you towards ways to get unstuck.
Below are a list of points you might be stuck on:
I. STALLED STORIES
Getting stuck happens to everyone, and there are plenty of ways to get stuck. Some novels charge out of the gate like they're on fire. Others make you fight them every word of the way. Then you have the ones that chug along great and then... stall. Sometimes you, the writer, envision a goal, but your characters aren't feeling it. They don't have solid goals and motivation to get them where you need them to go. They're going because you told them to, not because they wanted to. So the story stalls. If you're facing a stalled scene or story, ask yourself:
1. Are there plausible and strong motivations for your protagonist to be doing what the plot requires them to?
If not, the characters aren't driving the plot, the plot is driving them. Look for ways to motivate your characters again. This might require going back a bit, but somewhere you probably have lost the reason they're on this story path in the first place. At some point, solving the plot problem stopped being the most important thing in their lives. More than likely it's because…
2. Did your stakes decrease or disappear?
When characters stop caring, it's usually because there's no longer anything at stake if they fail. Maybe the big bad is still out there, but there's nothing at risk for them RIGHT NOW. They feel safe, even if they're still technically in trouble or on the run. Try looking for ways to put them back at risk. But beware - you don't want to just throw danger at them. That's just as boring because the danger doesn't really matter. Look for things where failure matters to their character, character arc or the plot. It might be time to rekindle the…
3. Conflict. Did you lose it?
If your characters are just going through the steps to get them from point A to point B and nothing is really in their way, the scene can feel lifeless and stall. Try looking at how you can add conflict back into your story. Look at the internal and external goals and issues. How might you knock those two together again so they're at odds with one another? Maybe you could have your characters disagree over what needs to be done or have the only way to succeed require a sacrifice the protagonist isn't willing to make. Find ways to make the protagonist face a tough choice instead of just a tough situation everyone knows they'll get through.
4. Has a subplot taken over?
Sometimes a subplot becomes more interesting and steals the show, leading your protagonist off on a wild tangent. Then you reach a point where you don't know what to do or where to go, but you can't figure out how to get back on track. Look for where you left the plot highway. It might be a plot event that sent you in a new direction; you might have changed the goal or motivation of your protagonist. Did they suddenly change their minds about what they wanted or why they wanted it? Sometimes a great subplot idea can push aside the core conflict and you find your protagonist shifted goals with no strong cause.
A stalled story almost always ends up being a narrative drive issue in some way. Drive is all about wanting something, so figure out what your character wants, what you're doing to keep them from it and what will happen if they fail, and you'll start to see life in your story again.
II. PROBLEM SCENES
Sometimes when writing, you'll hit a snag in a scene that isn't working and you don't know why. So how can you fix it?
Goal Check
Look at your character's goals. Are they actively trying to do something to solve their big story problem, or is this just one more tiny step in the plot? Steps are good, but too many can send the story off track and make it feel aimless. How many steps removed from the main plot if this scene? If it's more than three or four, you might be too far from the core conflict. Yes, you have a goal driving the scene, but achieving it doesn't actually matter to the bigger story. So the scene flounders.
Conflict Conundrum
What's the conflict in this scene? Is any thing or any one in the way of your protagonist getting what they want? Lack of conflict is another common culprit in scenes that aren't working. Lack of conflict means a lack of stakes, because there no sense that the hero will fail. What can you do to add conflict back into the scene? Who or what can be between the protagonist and their goal?
Raise The Stakes
If the stakes aren't going up even though things are going wrong, that's a big red flag that it's just extra trouble and not a real plot obstacle. How can this problem make the risk higher? Personal risks to the protagonist are usually best, but you can also make things worse for another character if they're important to the protagonist. Look at internal and external goals, and think down the line as well as immediate problems.
Mix & Match
Can this problem be combined with another one that does raise the stakes? Multiple things going wrong at once can make for some gripping scenes, and allows you to layer plot and add depth through inner conflict. One external problem might work well with an internal problem and turn a good scene into a wow scene.
Hack & Slash
Can the scene be cut? Trimming the scene might pick up the pace and get you to the important plot elements faster. If you can't cut the scene, ask why you can't? That will give you an idea of what really matters in that scene, and you can either use that to fix the scene or find a way to combine scenes. Or find a way to make the scene work overall.
There's a difference between making things worse and making bad things happen. If your trouble enhances the overall story, you're on the right track. If all it does is delay the plot, it can probably go. Because the last thing you want, is a reader rolling their eyes and thinking, Oh, come on!
III. HARD-TO-WRITE SCENES
Some scenes are just hard to write. You get stuck, and it's usually because you're missing a key element to move forward. You don't know your stakes, you've lost sight of your protagonist's goal, you don't know how someone else in the scene feels or what they'd do in that situation. It's central to the scene itself if not the book. Or there's something critical you need to do before that point and you've forgotten.
When you hit a wall like that, sometimes it's best to give yourself a little time and let it simmer in your brain. Your subconscious is pretty good at working these things out if you give it a chance. In order to help yourself out, asking yourself the tough questions:
Sometimes this shakes thing loose and you see what was missing and figure out how to fix it.
Of course there are simpler reasons for not writing. Maybe you don't like the scene itself. It's boring. The only way to fix that is to go back to where it still feels exciting and head in a new direction. Then there are days when you don't feel creative. You've burnt yourself out and your muse goes on strike. Taking a few days off and reading and having fun usually works here. When you get back to writing, you usually know what to do next. It's like any other job. There are those tasks you just hate and every time you have to do them you drag your feet. Eventually you grit your teeth and get it over with.
IV. NOT KNOWING WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
At some point, all of us will hit a wall in our writing. We get stuck, we don't know what happens next, maybe we know where we need to go, but not sure how to get there. Hitting a wall can feel a lot like full-on writer's block. It can freak you out and make you panic. But most of the time, it's your subconscious telling you that you're missing something you need to move forward. Try taking a step back and diagnosing what the problem might be:
1. Re-Examine Goals & Motivations
The plot says do X, but there's no way the protagonist would do that and your subconscious knows it. Try looking at your character's motivation. What do they want? What's at stake if they fail? Maybe they've lost sight of what they're trying to accomplish and that's making it hard to go forward.
2. Examine Your Backstory
Sounds crazy, but sometimes you can't move forward because you haven't laid the right foundation for it. You might need to add more information to provide the drive needed to move your protagonist to the next step.
3. Look Where You're Going
Your plot says you have to go to X, but maybe that's no longer the right move for the story. Maybe you need to adjust a plot point or change a set piece.
4. Look Where You've Been
Is there something in the story so far that contradicts what you want to do next? Are you duplicating something? You subconscious might be spotting a problem with repetition without realising it.
5. Look Around
Maybe the setting is wrong, or the location. Would the next scene work better if you moved it? Either the place in the story or the place in the book itself?
6. Talk To Your Bad Guy
Have you been spending so much time on your protagonist that your antagonist's goals and motives are now weak and unbelievable? Maybe you need to shore up the villain's plan to get back on track.
7. Sum Up
Try sitting down with a blank page and just write out what you feel is supposed to happen. Describe it like you were telling a friend - no pressure, just casual. Sometimes writing it down before you 'write' it down helps jar the sticky points loose. At the very least, it gives you the freedom to brainstorm and see how you can fix it.
8. Just Do It
When all else fails, just grit your teeth and write, knowing that it's more than likely going to suck. You have to get through it, and sometimes the only way is to just dive in. Take heart in the fact that it probably won't be as bad as you expect it to be, and you'll be able to revise once it's down.
Of course, there are also some non-writing things you can do to get past the wall:
Sometimes you need to walk away from your writing for a bit and let your brain recharge. You've probably been struggling to plot or write and your frustration level is high. Go do something fun. Hitting a wall is perfectly normal, so don't let it worry you. Just step back, take a breath, and find the way to climb over.
V. LITTLE THINGS HOLDING YOU BACK
Subtlety can mean the difference between a passage that works and one that falls flat. One word change, one shift in perspective, and everything's different. These can be hard to spot sometimes, which only adds to the frustration. If you're struggling with a story right now, perhaps take a closer look and see if there's a subtle reason that's holding the work back.
1. Is your premise creating the right expectation in the reader?
Are you writing a romance with a mystery subplot or a mystery with a romance subplot? Both books can look quite similar, but what one genre expects is different from the other. There might be little things you're doing that nudge it toward the wrong side and makes it feel off, even though no one can tell you why. Check your plots, structure and tone; look at the tropes of your genre and make sure you're in line with the norm for that genre. Make sure that the story you want to tell is the one actually being told on the page.
2. Is your narrative moving the story or just explaining the story?
Sometimes there's a fine line between narrative that's in your protagonist's PoV and the author describing what's happening to a character. Look at how you offer information to the reader. Is it technically accurate and well-written, but feels as if anyone could have said it, or does it sound like your PoV character? Do they sound as if they're experiencing these events as they happen or simply relaying them as if they were describing a movie or sporting event?
3. Is there tension drawing readers in?
Since you know how events will play out, it's easy to write a scene that shows your protagonist doing all the things they need to do to succeed in that scene. This can sometimes give the scene a sense that there's no actual opposition to the protagonist's goal. All the pieces are there, but the feeling that the antagonist is really trying isn't. You're not showing how the protagonist struggles to win, you're showing how they overcome obstacles to win. One leaves you with a sense of uncertainty (they struggle, and they might lose), the other leaves you with the sense that they're just going through the motions (here's how they overcome this problem).
4. Are you telegraphing the text?
Check your descriptive action scenes. Are you having your protagonist state their motivations before they act? This can give the text a detached feel, as if the protagonist is explaining things after the fact and not actually participating in them. Look for sentences like...
Make the subtle change to...
Tiny change, but see how the second example feels more active and immediate?
5. Are you stating, not showing?
The tiny word 'to' can do a lot to steal the sense of immediacy from a line. In most cases, 'to do' something is telling the reader what a character intends to do, but doesn't actually show that character doing it.
In the first example, Bob doesn't act. The author is telling you Bob plans to act. The second example shows him acting.
There are exceptions to this and places where 'to verb' is perfectly acceptable, but 'to' is a good word to check on to make sure you're not inadvertently telling when you want to show.
Search for words and phrases that describe action and turn them into phrases that show action.
6. Are you changing the subject?
Check your sentences for places where the subject of the sentence isn't the person you're talking about. This can make a sentence feel flat and passive.
The footprint is the subject here, but the footprint isn't doing anything, so the sentence just lies there. A subtle shift to Bob as the subject, and suddenly the sentence has new life.
Small things can make a big difference, and we often instinctively sense when something's wrong, even if we can't say exactly what that is. Look for the subtle things in your writing and train your eyes - and ears - to pick up them and make them do what you want them to do.
Remember, when you feel like you're hitting a wall, or getting stuck, don't panic and don't stress over it. Examine the problem. Determine what the trouble is. Start looking at ways to change that situation. Stuck is all about trying different things until you get unstuck. Some may help you pop out right away, others might not help at all. But everything you try gets you one step closer to freeing yourself.
We're word people. Stuck is a temporary situation. Stuck is a delay. Blocked is more permanent. Blocked is being forced to stop. It may sound silly, but words have power. Thinking I'm blocked, I may never write again is terrifying. Thinking I'm stuck, how the heck am I going to get out of this? is just frustrating. You can deal with frustrating. Being stuck also points you towards ways to get unstuck.
Below are a list of points you might be stuck on:
I. STALLED STORIES
Getting stuck happens to everyone, and there are plenty of ways to get stuck. Some novels charge out of the gate like they're on fire. Others make you fight them every word of the way. Then you have the ones that chug along great and then... stall. Sometimes you, the writer, envision a goal, but your characters aren't feeling it. They don't have solid goals and motivation to get them where you need them to go. They're going because you told them to, not because they wanted to. So the story stalls. If you're facing a stalled scene or story, ask yourself:
1. Are there plausible and strong motivations for your protagonist to be doing what the plot requires them to?
If not, the characters aren't driving the plot, the plot is driving them. Look for ways to motivate your characters again. This might require going back a bit, but somewhere you probably have lost the reason they're on this story path in the first place. At some point, solving the plot problem stopped being the most important thing in their lives. More than likely it's because…
2. Did your stakes decrease or disappear?
When characters stop caring, it's usually because there's no longer anything at stake if they fail. Maybe the big bad is still out there, but there's nothing at risk for them RIGHT NOW. They feel safe, even if they're still technically in trouble or on the run. Try looking for ways to put them back at risk. But beware - you don't want to just throw danger at them. That's just as boring because the danger doesn't really matter. Look for things where failure matters to their character, character arc or the plot. It might be time to rekindle the…
3. Conflict. Did you lose it?
If your characters are just going through the steps to get them from point A to point B and nothing is really in their way, the scene can feel lifeless and stall. Try looking at how you can add conflict back into your story. Look at the internal and external goals and issues. How might you knock those two together again so they're at odds with one another? Maybe you could have your characters disagree over what needs to be done or have the only way to succeed require a sacrifice the protagonist isn't willing to make. Find ways to make the protagonist face a tough choice instead of just a tough situation everyone knows they'll get through.
4. Has a subplot taken over?
Sometimes a subplot becomes more interesting and steals the show, leading your protagonist off on a wild tangent. Then you reach a point where you don't know what to do or where to go, but you can't figure out how to get back on track. Look for where you left the plot highway. It might be a plot event that sent you in a new direction; you might have changed the goal or motivation of your protagonist. Did they suddenly change their minds about what they wanted or why they wanted it? Sometimes a great subplot idea can push aside the core conflict and you find your protagonist shifted goals with no strong cause.
A stalled story almost always ends up being a narrative drive issue in some way. Drive is all about wanting something, so figure out what your character wants, what you're doing to keep them from it and what will happen if they fail, and you'll start to see life in your story again.
II. PROBLEM SCENES
Sometimes when writing, you'll hit a snag in a scene that isn't working and you don't know why. So how can you fix it?
Goal Check
Look at your character's goals. Are they actively trying to do something to solve their big story problem, or is this just one more tiny step in the plot? Steps are good, but too many can send the story off track and make it feel aimless. How many steps removed from the main plot if this scene? If it's more than three or four, you might be too far from the core conflict. Yes, you have a goal driving the scene, but achieving it doesn't actually matter to the bigger story. So the scene flounders.
Conflict Conundrum
What's the conflict in this scene? Is any thing or any one in the way of your protagonist getting what they want? Lack of conflict is another common culprit in scenes that aren't working. Lack of conflict means a lack of stakes, because there no sense that the hero will fail. What can you do to add conflict back into the scene? Who or what can be between the protagonist and their goal?
Raise The Stakes
If the stakes aren't going up even though things are going wrong, that's a big red flag that it's just extra trouble and not a real plot obstacle. How can this problem make the risk higher? Personal risks to the protagonist are usually best, but you can also make things worse for another character if they're important to the protagonist. Look at internal and external goals, and think down the line as well as immediate problems.
Mix & Match
Can this problem be combined with another one that does raise the stakes? Multiple things going wrong at once can make for some gripping scenes, and allows you to layer plot and add depth through inner conflict. One external problem might work well with an internal problem and turn a good scene into a wow scene.
Hack & Slash
Can the scene be cut? Trimming the scene might pick up the pace and get you to the important plot elements faster. If you can't cut the scene, ask why you can't? That will give you an idea of what really matters in that scene, and you can either use that to fix the scene or find a way to combine scenes. Or find a way to make the scene work overall.
There's a difference between making things worse and making bad things happen. If your trouble enhances the overall story, you're on the right track. If all it does is delay the plot, it can probably go. Because the last thing you want, is a reader rolling their eyes and thinking, Oh, come on!
III. HARD-TO-WRITE SCENES
Some scenes are just hard to write. You get stuck, and it's usually because you're missing a key element to move forward. You don't know your stakes, you've lost sight of your protagonist's goal, you don't know how someone else in the scene feels or what they'd do in that situation. It's central to the scene itself if not the book. Or there's something critical you need to do before that point and you've forgotten.
When you hit a wall like that, sometimes it's best to give yourself a little time and let it simmer in your brain. Your subconscious is pretty good at working these things out if you give it a chance. In order to help yourself out, asking yourself the tough questions:
- What does my protagonist want here?
- What are they trying to do?
- What's in their way?
- Why is this scene important?
- What do I want the reader to learn? To feel? To worry about?
- Why does this matter to the overall story?
Sometimes this shakes thing loose and you see what was missing and figure out how to fix it.
Of course there are simpler reasons for not writing. Maybe you don't like the scene itself. It's boring. The only way to fix that is to go back to where it still feels exciting and head in a new direction. Then there are days when you don't feel creative. You've burnt yourself out and your muse goes on strike. Taking a few days off and reading and having fun usually works here. When you get back to writing, you usually know what to do next. It's like any other job. There are those tasks you just hate and every time you have to do them you drag your feet. Eventually you grit your teeth and get it over with.
IV. NOT KNOWING WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
At some point, all of us will hit a wall in our writing. We get stuck, we don't know what happens next, maybe we know where we need to go, but not sure how to get there. Hitting a wall can feel a lot like full-on writer's block. It can freak you out and make you panic. But most of the time, it's your subconscious telling you that you're missing something you need to move forward. Try taking a step back and diagnosing what the problem might be:
1. Re-Examine Goals & Motivations
The plot says do X, but there's no way the protagonist would do that and your subconscious knows it. Try looking at your character's motivation. What do they want? What's at stake if they fail? Maybe they've lost sight of what they're trying to accomplish and that's making it hard to go forward.
2. Examine Your Backstory
Sounds crazy, but sometimes you can't move forward because you haven't laid the right foundation for it. You might need to add more information to provide the drive needed to move your protagonist to the next step.
3. Look Where You're Going
Your plot says you have to go to X, but maybe that's no longer the right move for the story. Maybe you need to adjust a plot point or change a set piece.
4. Look Where You've Been
Is there something in the story so far that contradicts what you want to do next? Are you duplicating something? You subconscious might be spotting a problem with repetition without realising it.
5. Look Around
Maybe the setting is wrong, or the location. Would the next scene work better if you moved it? Either the place in the story or the place in the book itself?
6. Talk To Your Bad Guy
Have you been spending so much time on your protagonist that your antagonist's goals and motives are now weak and unbelievable? Maybe you need to shore up the villain's plan to get back on track.
7. Sum Up
Try sitting down with a blank page and just write out what you feel is supposed to happen. Describe it like you were telling a friend - no pressure, just casual. Sometimes writing it down before you 'write' it down helps jar the sticky points loose. At the very least, it gives you the freedom to brainstorm and see how you can fix it.
8. Just Do It
When all else fails, just grit your teeth and write, knowing that it's more than likely going to suck. You have to get through it, and sometimes the only way is to just dive in. Take heart in the fact that it probably won't be as bad as you expect it to be, and you'll be able to revise once it's down.
Of course, there are also some non-writing things you can do to get past the wall:
- Take a break
- Take a walk
- Take a shower
- Listen to music
- Read
Sometimes you need to walk away from your writing for a bit and let your brain recharge. You've probably been struggling to plot or write and your frustration level is high. Go do something fun. Hitting a wall is perfectly normal, so don't let it worry you. Just step back, take a breath, and find the way to climb over.
V. LITTLE THINGS HOLDING YOU BACK
Subtlety can mean the difference between a passage that works and one that falls flat. One word change, one shift in perspective, and everything's different. These can be hard to spot sometimes, which only adds to the frustration. If you're struggling with a story right now, perhaps take a closer look and see if there's a subtle reason that's holding the work back.
1. Is your premise creating the right expectation in the reader?
Are you writing a romance with a mystery subplot or a mystery with a romance subplot? Both books can look quite similar, but what one genre expects is different from the other. There might be little things you're doing that nudge it toward the wrong side and makes it feel off, even though no one can tell you why. Check your plots, structure and tone; look at the tropes of your genre and make sure you're in line with the norm for that genre. Make sure that the story you want to tell is the one actually being told on the page.
2. Is your narrative moving the story or just explaining the story?
Sometimes there's a fine line between narrative that's in your protagonist's PoV and the author describing what's happening to a character. Look at how you offer information to the reader. Is it technically accurate and well-written, but feels as if anyone could have said it, or does it sound like your PoV character? Do they sound as if they're experiencing these events as they happen or simply relaying them as if they were describing a movie or sporting event?
3. Is there tension drawing readers in?
Since you know how events will play out, it's easy to write a scene that shows your protagonist doing all the things they need to do to succeed in that scene. This can sometimes give the scene a sense that there's no actual opposition to the protagonist's goal. All the pieces are there, but the feeling that the antagonist is really trying isn't. You're not showing how the protagonist struggles to win, you're showing how they overcome obstacles to win. One leaves you with a sense of uncertainty (they struggle, and they might lose), the other leaves you with the sense that they're just going through the motions (here's how they overcome this problem).
4. Are you telegraphing the text?
Check your descriptive action scenes. Are you having your protagonist state their motivations before they act? This can give the text a detached feel, as if the protagonist is explaining things after the fact and not actually participating in them. Look for sentences like...
But when she tried to run for the door, Bob stopped her.
Make the subtle change to...
She ran for the door. Bob stopped her.
Tiny change, but see how the second example feels more active and immediate?
5. Are you stating, not showing?
The tiny word 'to' can do a lot to steal the sense of immediacy from a line. In most cases, 'to do' something is telling the reader what a character intends to do, but doesn't actually show that character doing it.
Bob stepped out on the balcony to check for zombies.
Bob stepped out on the balcony and checked for zombies.
Bob stepped out on the balcony and checked for zombies.
In the first example, Bob doesn't act. The author is telling you Bob plans to act. The second example shows him acting.
There are exceptions to this and places where 'to verb' is perfectly acceptable, but 'to' is a good word to check on to make sure you're not inadvertently telling when you want to show.
Bob could see the zombies in the distance. || Bob saw the zombies in the distance.
Bob was expecting zombies to come out from every corner. || Bob expected zombies to come out of every corner.
Bob noticed the bushes behind the car were trampled. || Bob spotted trampled bushes behind the car.
Bob watched the zombie rip George's face off. || The zombie ripped off George's face.
Bob was expecting zombies to come out from every corner. || Bob expected zombies to come out of every corner.
Bob noticed the bushes behind the car were trampled. || Bob spotted trampled bushes behind the car.
Bob watched the zombie rip George's face off. || The zombie ripped off George's face.
Search for words and phrases that describe action and turn them into phrases that show action.
6. Are you changing the subject?
Check your sentences for places where the subject of the sentence isn't the person you're talking about. This can make a sentence feel flat and passive.
The footprint gave Bob the feeling that a zombie was close by.
The footprint is the subject here, but the footprint isn't doing anything, so the sentence just lies there. A subtle shift to Bob as the subject, and suddenly the sentence has new life.
Bob traced a finger around the footprint and shivered. A zombie was nearby.
Small things can make a big difference, and we often instinctively sense when something's wrong, even if we can't say exactly what that is. Look for the subtle things in your writing and train your eyes - and ears - to pick up them and make them do what you want them to do.
Remember, when you feel like you're hitting a wall, or getting stuck, don't panic and don't stress over it. Examine the problem. Determine what the trouble is. Start looking at ways to change that situation. Stuck is all about trying different things until you get unstuck. Some may help you pop out right away, others might not help at all. But everything you try gets you one step closer to freeing yourself.