Ask the Author: Naomi Kramer
Answered Questions (1)
Naomi Kramer
I tend to get 'writer's block' when I notice a problem in my story and don't have an immediate solution for it.
I have two methods for dealing with it:
- Describe the exact problem exactly where I noticed it in the text, surrounded by square brackets [ ]. The square brackets are to help me find it later; often once I have the problem down in words and know that I'll deal with it before the book's published, my mind is cleared of that worry and I can go on with whatever scene I was writing. I have to thank Piers Anthony for this solution; he mentioned it once in an Author's Note at the end of a book, and it's been a great boon.
- Put it in background processing. Sometimes I can't think of a good solution to a plot hole or boring section of story. Typically, I'll just go on with a different task, and think about the problem on and off over the next week or two. Generally I'll have an 'A ha!' moment, and the problem is solved in a weird and funny way without much conscious thought.
I have two methods for dealing with it:
- Describe the exact problem exactly where I noticed it in the text, surrounded by square brackets [ ]. The square brackets are to help me find it later; often once I have the problem down in words and know that I'll deal with it before the book's published, my mind is cleared of that worry and I can go on with whatever scene I was writing. I have to thank Piers Anthony for this solution; he mentioned it once in an Author's Note at the end of a book, and it's been a great boon.
- Put it in background processing. Sometimes I can't think of a good solution to a plot hole or boring section of story. Typically, I'll just go on with a different task, and think about the problem on and off over the next week or two. Generally I'll have an 'A ha!' moment, and the problem is solved in a weird and funny way without much conscious thought.
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