I don't force it. I shift gears. I'll read. Go for a run. Work on a student project. I let things marinate and usually a solution comes to me eventually. If it doesn't, maybe I'm on the wrong track and I need to step back and reevaluate.
When I’m stuck, I often realize I don’t know a character well enough. So I might write a long interview with them, or answer a list of questions (there are lots of these online), or dig into their family history. Once I see them clearly, I can listen to them.
Walking or doing a workout almost always gets me unstuck. If it's a multi-layered problem or something that can't be easily solved by walking, I think hard on the problem for a while, and release it to my subconscious to simmer in the background while I'm doing other things. I read this tip from one of James Scott Bell's craft books, where he thinks about a problem, then lets "the boys in the basement" work on it while he gets coffee or takes a walk. The other thing is talking about the problem with another writer. This almost always helps.
I've had some success getting unstuck by writing about something other than what I need to write about. I suppose that's not unlike the "daily pages" exercise from The Writer's Way; it seems to clear my mind a bit. On one occasion, I just wrote about some anecdote from my childhood, and it wound up being one of my favourite pieces.
I like this -- I do this too. I also sometimes go out and do something else creative, like photography. Has the double benefit of making me go out for a walk... lol
I like to write short stories about the other things my characters get up to that don't make the final cut. Gives something new and exciting to start and finish, and adds some collateral for when the book is
I don't force it. I shift gears. I'll read. Go for a run. Work on a student project. I let things marinate and usually a solution comes to me eventually. If it doesn't, maybe I'm on the wrong track and I need to step back and reevaluate.
This is definitely the way *thumbs up*
When I’m stuck, I often realize I don’t know a character well enough. So I might write a long interview with them, or answer a list of questions (there are lots of these online), or dig into their family history. Once I see them clearly, I can listen to them.
I bought this for myself, Jess and KJ this past year: https://www.etsy.com/listing/890755824/workbook-for-writer-gift-character?ref=yr_purchases
I usually go for a walk or if it is night time, I will take a shower. I always say that I get my best writing ideas out on a walk or in the shower!
I go for a long walk, amazing what thoughts will come to you. Don’t forget that recorder
Depends on why you’re stuck! Could be creative, could be motivation, could be fears. All have different strategies for getting unstuck.
I wrote a post in this very topic last October:
https://www.towritewithwildabandon.com/p/how-to-motivate-yourself-to-write
Great question!
Fair. Makes sense.
Walking or doing a workout almost always gets me unstuck. If it's a multi-layered problem or something that can't be easily solved by walking, I think hard on the problem for a while, and release it to my subconscious to simmer in the background while I'm doing other things. I read this tip from one of James Scott Bell's craft books, where he thinks about a problem, then lets "the boys in the basement" work on it while he gets coffee or takes a walk. The other thing is talking about the problem with another writer. This almost always helps.
I've had some success getting unstuck by writing about something other than what I need to write about. I suppose that's not unlike the "daily pages" exercise from The Writer's Way; it seems to clear my mind a bit. On one occasion, I just wrote about some anecdote from my childhood, and it wound up being one of my favourite pieces.
I like this trick, too. It reminds me that progress is possible, so I forget to be annoyed at the other project.
I like this -- I do this too. I also sometimes go out and do something else creative, like photography. Has the double benefit of making me go out for a walk... lol
I like to write short stories about the other things my characters get up to that don't make the final cut. Gives something new and exciting to start and finish, and adds some collateral for when the book is