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Writer's Block
by
M. Kathleen Crouch
Writer’s Block – what is it and how do you deal with it?
For me, Writer’s Block is that state of mind and environment when I am besieged by real life. That’s when the well doesn’t work or there are workmen outside my door wanting my attention. Or maybe one of my four Siberians wants to go outside or a seventeen pound cat named Jack wants my attention; when there are bills to be paid and groceries to buy; when there’s no clean laundry or visitors want to talk.
It can also be a feeling of something ‘not quite right’ with the story. Suddenly, the words cease to flow and I stop writing. Is this a true case of Writer’s Block?
Elizabeth Moon in her article calls this state "Stuckness". She writes:
""Stuckness" has several causes, but the most important thing about it is that the story you were telling is still alive--it's just stuck. You can feel that the story is alive, that the characters are eager to move on. You, the writer, are the one with the problem. If you work at it, stuckness resolves in less than a week (for one problem--a novel may have several patches of stuckness...I usually spend the middle months of a novel stumbling from one sticky patch to another.)"
Elizabeth Moon has other comments on writer’s block at her site: http://www.sff.net/people/elizabeth.moon/block.htm
Tara K. Harper, when asked about getting writer’s block, said:
"No. I have so many things to write, in so many different areas that, when it's time for me to percolate on one book or piece of music, I simply move on to the next and keep working. I'll come back to writing the first story when that story is once again ready to be told. "
You can read the rest of her article at: http://www.teleport.com/~until/write.htm
I’m like Tara; I always have something to work on. I have two novels in various stages of the first draft, some short stories that need rewriting, articles for the workshop, class assignments, and updating web pages here and at my web site (The Mountain Wolf Den http://www.fox21.net/sakijin ).
Are there other causes of Writer’s Block?
Of course there are. One of these is "Lack of Concentration". The writer is unable to focus on the project. His or her attention keeps jumping from one thing to another. The writer begins a story, but then thoughts of an uncompleted project interfere or he or she can’t quite figure out where to begin or how to proceed.
One of the ways to overcome this is to keep a central idea or an outline in front of you. For example, when I started to write "Two Moons of Lyra", I kept a general outline of what the plot/story line was on the desk next to my computer. If something that might happen later in the story distracted me, I stopped for a moment and jotted it down in the proper section of the outline. Then I returned to the work at hand.What’s the difference between a general outline and a detailed outline? A general outline gives the writer leeway to make changes in his or her story, while a detailed outline is harder to change. Which is best for the beginning writer? That’s a question I can’t answer except for myself.
When writing non-fiction, a detailed outline is much better because it keeps me on track and by following the detailed outline, I can finish the text. When I switched over to writing fiction, I focused on detailed outlines, only to find that they limited my ability to be flexible and didn’t allow me to change the way the story was going. So I started using the general outline for most of my stories.
There are other times, when I don’t use any outline, just focus on a general concept or idea. The first draft as a result often wanders a bit, but during the rewriting stages, it tightens up and flows from the beginning to the end.
The Inner Critic/Editor:
A second cause of Writer’s Block is letting the inner critic/editor take over. The inner critic or editor tells the writer that what he or she has written isn’t good; no one will want to read what he or she has written.
Whether you’re a beginning writer or a professional writer, letting your inner critic/editor take over is self-defeating. The joy of writing is to play with words, letting them flow from your brain to your fingers to the paper or to the computer screen. While you are writing, suppress the editor/critic inside your head. For now, let the writing take over and use your imagination.
Remember that the first or second writings are the drafts and drafts can be rewritten. They can even be thrown away and the writer can start fresh. Or they may be so totally rewritten that there’s no similarity between the first or second draft and the finished story.
One of the things I try to do on a daily basis is a five-minute writing session. I either pick up my pen or sit at my computer and write about anything that pops into my head for at least five minutes.
I don’t worry about misspelled words or dangling modifiers or incomplete sentences. I just write for five minutes. Usually, I write something about what one of my Siberians or cats have done lately. Sometimes I write about how I feel or what I want to accomplish.
Just the act of writing gets me jumpstarted on one of my projects and then I can spend the rest of the day enjoying the process of putting words on the paper. I can enjoy writing about the heroines and heroes that fill my dreams instead of worrying about whether or not the writing is perfect.
An Idea that goes nowhere:
An idea that goes nowhere may not have simmered long enough in the writer’s mind. Don’t be afraid to put it on a back burner or back into a file folder. Your subconscious mind will work on it and later you can pull it out and work on it again.
I did that when I first started writing "Two Moons of Lyra". I had this great idea for a story. I jotted down ideas as the character revealed them to me, but it sat in a drawer for years before I pulled it out and looked at it. Actually, it’s back in the drawer or on that back burner because two other stories and their characters are demanding that I write their stories now.
I keep going back to "Two Moons of Lyra" adding an idea here, taking out something there and mulling about it for awhile. I haven’t started writing it yet other than jotting down some scenes, but I’m not worried about it at this point in time. It needs to simmer a bit more and then watch out, I’ll be so engrossed in writing that I won’t be able to stop, at least until I encounter another phase of the Writer’s Block.
Fear of Failure:
What if I write a novel, perfect it to the best of my ability and no one wants it? I’ve failed! Actually, just because no one wants it, doesn’t mean I’ve failed in my job as a writer. It may mean that the editors or agents aren’t interested in my story at this time. It may mean that I do need to take another look at the story and rewrite it.
But in the long run, I have succeeded. I have completed a novel. It may not be the best novel in the world, but I have accomplished a goal. I have told a story that has a beginning, a middle and an end. I have characters that have faced challenges and overcome them. I have a story that entertains.
Instead of worrying about the rejection or failure, I begin again. I may start a new story or work on this one. The important thing to remember is that writing is a process and learning the process takes time and practice. When I first learned how to ride a bike, it took practice to perfect the techniques and skills. So too, writing takes practice to perfect the techniques and skills to produce a manuscript that an editor or agent will accept.
Of course, once that manuscript is accepted, you or I will face a new challenge. Rewriting the novel based on what the agent or editor wants or desires. Rewriting is a part of the writer’s life; an important part that the beginning writer must accept as part of the process of writing.
Fear of Success:
Fear of Success??? Yes, some writers do fear success. In fact, my co-author of "The Arbor Incident" is not too sure that she wants to become successful. She doesn’t want to have demands to produce a second story as good as the first.
Why? Because she doesn’t think, at least at this time, that she will be able to do it again. "Besides," she argues, "what if the editor/agent wants more than one or two stories and I can’t write them?" I tried to tell her that it didn’t matter, but she hasn’t listened yet.
Many writers are afraid that success will alter their lives because it will bring additional stress, responsibility, and/or expectations that they don’t wish to face. Since it may not even happen, why worry? If writing is important, nothing else will matter. As writers, we're survivors. We have learned to deal with things as they come and we’ll continue to write even if we do become successful. We have the drive to write; it doesn’t matter what we write, just as long as we tell a story or as long as we listen to the characters in our heads demanding that their story be told.
Stress or Depression:
Stress and or depression affect all humans, writers or not. Goals haven’t been met or there’s the feeling that there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it. When I get to this state, I take a break. I go for a walk in the woods or drive down country roads. I find a favorite book and get lost in another world.
Actually, picking up a book by a favorite author is one of the techniques of learning how to write. By reading, studying and imitating the techniques of my favorite authors I can learn their secrets of writing successful novels.
Author Lisa Eagleson-Roever, in her article says " Authors, when struggling to write, tend to turn to reading for inspiration. Learning to write by reading, therefore, is not a task suggested to new writers to keep them busy unnecessarily. It is something nearly every author does as part of his or her writing life." The rest of her article can be found at http://www.writelinks.com/keystrokes/keys2-12.htm#Eagleson-Roever .
I do this quite often. I turn to my favorite authors, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Katherine Kurtz, Anne McCaffrey, David Weber, or Mercedes Lackey. But it wasn’t until I read Lisa’s article that I realized that reading their stories were not only a way to take a break from writing, but a way that I could learn from how they wrote.
For example, she writes, "…note the small, every-day details the author brings to a story." Each author has his or her own way of presenting the every-day details that spring from his or her expertise.
Have you read a great fighting scene that you enjoyed because you could ‘see’ the action of the characters? Or what about large space battleships facing each other across drawn lines and the details of the encounters? What characters do you remember from your favorite writers? Ones that remain in your mind long after you’ve read the book?
Skandranon Rashke, of the "Black Gryphon" by Mercedes Lackey (January 1995, Daw Books), is one of my favorite characters. Skandranon, a Gryphon, is bold, with keen magesight and sharp intelligence. Mercedes often integrates her work with birds of prey being a raptor rehabilitator herself.
Helva, of the "Ship Who Sang" by Anne McCaffrey (December, 1985, was one of my introductions to the world of science-fiction. As a "shell-person", she exhibited all the characteristics of a heroine: brave, resourceful, and very likable.
Of the Pern books, I loved Jaxom and his dragon Ruth, of "The White Dragon" by Anne McCaffrey (October 1994, Ballantine Books) Jaxom wasn’t supposed to impress a dragon, but Ruth had other ideas.
Honor Harrington, of "On Basilisk Station" by David Weber (October 1994, Pocket Books). Honor is brave, understanding, courageous and determined to do the right thing, inspite of her enemies.
Other ideas to break the Writer’s Block:
Write a letter to yourself if you're beginning to have anxieties about the story. Sometimes when we try to suppress our anxieties it only makes them worse. Anxiety turns to frustration and despair, and finally we abandon the whole project. If you can actually write down what bothers you about your heroine, or your plot, or whatever, the answer to the problem often suggests itself. The act of turning our chaotic thoughts into orderly sentences seems to lead to much quicker and more satisfying solutions.
Compile a "project notebook''. This is a list of facts, names, and so on that you expect to be using for constant reference. If you have some important research findings you plan to use, put them in the notebook along with their sources. Include lists of characters' names (with descriptions, so their eyes don't change color), unusual words or spellings, etc. The best format for this notebook may be a loose-leaf binder you can carry with you. (A word of caution: If your notebook gets too big to carry easily, you're defeating its purpose.)
Sources:
Elizabeth Moon, "Help! I can't write!", http://www.sff.net/people/elizabeth.moon/block.htm
Tara K. Harper, Articles and workshops, http://www.teleport.com/~until/tkh.htm
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