Unblocking Writers Block (Part 2)
In last week’s post, I provided some general strategies to help writers get unstuck. This week I’ll discuss how to maneuver crossroads and dead ends in your pieces.
Sometimes when we write, we don’t always know where the story is going. We write believing the story will lead us, trusting the process, the journey. But sometimes along the way, we come to a crossroads, and are unsure of which path to take. Do we allow our protagonist to fall back in love with the one who scorned her? Do we allow her to take that vacation, or should she just get back to work? Should our killer take one more victim, or is this moment her chance for redemption? So many possibilities that they can lead to overwhelm, and thus, an inability to make any progress in the piece. What do we do then? How do we choose which path is the best for our story?
Examine the possibilities and ask yourself the following questions:
Which path are you most drawn to or passionate about?
Often one of those roads will pull at you more than any other. Recognize that; you may not be able to actualize it, but be honest with yourself about which path you want. By doing so, you will make sure to put in any required effort that could make this path work.
Which path holds the most intrigue/engagement for your readers?
Look at the story from a reader’s perspective and determine which path will hold your interest longer. Which path will leave you on the edge of your seat, or make you gasp in shock, or lead you to tears? Determine which path will evoke the most emotion.
Which path provides your protagonist with the most fully developed character arc?
Your character is the center of this story; your main goal as a writer is to unravel a story that keeps your readers invested in your character’s journey. Which path has little effect on the character? Which shows her growth? Which shows her regression? Determine which is the most intriguing.
If the answer to these questions lies on one specific path, then you’ve determined how to continue with your story. If not, analyze if or how you could make the answers converge. Are there certain elements in one path that you can adopt in the other? Often just a minor adjustment, achieved by perhaps taking a different perspective of the situation, will help you decide.
Perhaps what’s holding you back isn’t that you’ve come to a crossroads in the story, but rather that you’ve hit a dead end. You feel like the story is over too soon, or you simply don’t know how to advance it. In that case, consider the following:
Ask yourself (and your characters) about the possibilities. What could happen next? List all the possibilities, even those that seem absurd. Keep listing ideas until you’ve exhausted them all. Then review them. Which will help show your protagonist on her journey? Which will reveal secrets about her character? About her desires? Her fears? Which will help her get to her destination? Which will make that journey more challenging, so challenging that she becomes someone different, someone stronger (or weaker!), someone more (or less) confident? Which ideas will make her think she’s getting what she wants, but will in fact give her what she needs? Or, which path will make her think she’s getting what she needs, only to find out it’s a dead-end, and she’s right back where she began, and now she’s a different person for none of the reasons that started her on that path to begin with?
Consider restructuring the story, so that certain events come before (or after) where they originally appear. Will that open some options for your characters? Can this change in the sequence of events help the narration?
What about introducing (or doing away with) friends or foes? Can new characters provide with a stronger, more engaging plot line?
Brainstorm. Imagine yourself inside your story, imagine the possibilities, and take it from there.
Remember that your mindset will either be your biggest ally or your worst enemy. If you keep telling yourself ‘this story is going nowhere,’ it will do just that. If you keep telling yourself ‘I can’t write this,’ ‘I’m stuck,’ or ‘this is hopeless,’ those negative thoughts will set you up for failure. But if you tell yourself ‘I’m going to get this,’ ‘I’m going to write this story and it will be engaging,’ then you’ll do just that. Be very mindful of your self-talk. Nourish that positive mindset regularly until your goals become reality.
We all get stuck sometimes. Don’t linger there; use the techniques I’ve highlighted in this article and the one previous to get your creative juices going. Or check out this conversation between Joanna Penn and K.M. Weiland on the subject. Use these tips to finish that piece. You’ve got this!