Is writer’s block a myth?
I have a confession. Even though I’ve had more free time than usual in the last few weeks, I haven’t gotten much writing done. Specifically, on The Book, the backbone of the whole Writing Rules Project. And I’ve been feeling guilty about it. I made an outline, right? I profiled all my characters, right?
I know exactly what’s going to happen next in my story, so how could I even call this writer’s block?
The good news is, I’m not alone. There are hundreds of posts, articles, and interviews that specifically deal with this problem. Some authors call writer’s block a myth. They must be pretty strong-minded, because sometimes the blank page looks incredibly intimidating. Even impossible.
I wanted to try some solutions to writer’s block to get me back on track with The Book. Here’s what I found out by employing the write-the-scene-you-want-to-write technique.
SKIP-A-CHAPTER RULE #1: MAKE SURE YOUR OUTLINE IS STILL WORKING
You may laugh, but writing a story non-chronologically is completely new to me. I know there are some people who write their drafts in out-of-order chunks, and then piece them together at the end. I have never been the kind of person who can do that and stay sane.
Then again, I have never been the kind of person to make an outline. But here we are.
Because of the Writing Rules Project, I’d already laid out all my chapters in advance. I have a short description of each chapter, so it was pretty easy for me to look over the whole thing and make sure I was still on track.
SKIP-A-CHAPTER RULE #2: PICK SOMETHING YOU CAN WRITE—NOW
Since I hadn’t been able to bring myself to write the next chronological chapter in weeks, I quickly put a finger on something that sounded more fun to write.
Here’s what I did: I was stuck on Chapter 18, and so I jumped to Chapter 21. I couldn’t bring myself to skip too far ahead, because I was afraid of losing natural character growth. The two chapters in between only took place over the course of a single day, so I didn’t think I’d lose much that I couldn’t fill in later.
And—it worked. It was a little slow at first—I only wrote a couple of paragraphs the first time I sat down with the new chapter, but by my second session, I was back on a roll. I cranked out the rest of Chapter 21 plus Chapter 22. Whew!
SKIP-A-CHAPTER RULE #3: COME BACK TO FILL IN THE GAPS WHEN THE WRITER’S BLOCK IS GONE
So far, I’m just planning to ride this wave of being-able-to-write-again as far as it takes me. I’ve just moved into the third act of my story, so things are getting interesting. I’m actually looking forward to continuing from here in chronological order.
I don’t know when I’ll return to the two chapters I skipped. Probably on a day when I’m feeling more inspired. It’s definitely a mindset thing, but it’s not always easy to write, even when you have buckets of time.
Even if you’re a strict chronological-order writer like me, I would highly recommend trying this rule next time you feel writer’s block coming on. And it seems that the updated verdict on my outline is—outlines rock!
What other writer’s block fixes should I try? Let me know in the comments below.
And, if you missed it, check out last week’s Writing Rules Mini Project, with five days of free fun prompts!