News

01
Jul

Getting Unstuck

I don’t do many process posts because I’m not sure yet what my process IS. Thrice is only my second book.
 
I didn’t use an outline until I was halfway through Garolass; I wrote one before I started Thrice and have hewn pretty closely to it. I wrote with music on for Garolass all the time; I can’t with Thrice. I massively rewrote Garolass from third-past to first-present, excised and combined characters, cut the scenes that first inspired it. Thrice is much tighter; I don’t envision such huge overhauls (although who knows).
 
One thing I have learned is what to do when I get stuck. Depending on the problem, I try:

1. Using a different font or writing on a different computer. It rejiggers my brain somehow.
2. Writing out short vignettes by hand (for me, this is usually dialogue).
3. Skipping ahead to the next scene I’m excited to write, then coming back and filling in the gaps.
4. Taking a walk with my iPod, listening to moody music.
5. Writing the scene from another character’s pov. I haven’t done this much, but when I have, it’s been really helpful in understanding minor characters’ motivations.
6. Considering that my outline or my idea of what happens next is wrong. Is my intuition trying to tell me something? 
7. Realizing that if I’m bored with this scene, the reader might be too. Am I starting it too early, before anything really happens?  
8. Wondering about how things could be worse for the main character in this scene. Then making that happen.
9. Opening up Write or Die. Sometimes I get stuck in my head, or fiddling with lines, when I need to just get the story out. It can be fixed later.
10. Taking a break for a day or two. I’m not an everyday writer. Sometimes my subconscious needs time to spin things out, I think.

What works for you?

Note: for those of you who aren’t on LiveJournal, I’ve recently started cross-posting on a shiny new WordPress blog. Feel free to comment either place!

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