When the Words Get Stuck

By Mindy Obenhaus

Tell me if this has ever happened to you. You’re working on a manuscript, making all kinds of great progress, and then you get to the next scene and everything stalls. You know what’s going to happen, but the words just won’t come. It’s as though you’ve hit a brick wall and are helpless to move forward.
You step away from the computer. You pace, pondering the scene, the opening line, yet your mind is blank. Or whatever does pop in there sounds absolutely horrible.
You get frustrated. Everything was flowing so smoothly. Now, it’s as though the words got jumbled together, creating a clog somewhere along the way and not a darn thing is coming out.
What’s a writer to do? I mean, you have a deadline. Even if you don’t, you want to keep pushing forward.
Take a break – Do some chores. Something as mundane as sorting laundry or doing dishes is often all it takes to get your brain moving in the right direction. Or take a walk. Enjoy nature and allow the fresh air to clear your mind. Do something creative – Creativity often spurs creativity. Do you like to craft? Paint? Decorate? Cook? Or simply turn on the TV (I can’t believe I just said that) and watch someone else be creative. Food Network, HGTV, DIY Network, The Cooking Channel, YouTube. It’s all about stirring your imagination and allowing that clog to start breaking apart. Read– Again, it’s all about getting your brain to focus on something else. There may be one word in there that sparks your imagination and gets your juices flowing again. Talk it out – This is one of my favorites, yet often the one I resort to last. Why? Because I’m an idiot who likes doing things the hard way. Whenever I mention to my husband that I’m stuck, the first thing he says is, “Wanna talk about it?” To which I usually respond, “I’m not sure I can because everything is so jumbled.” That never stops him, though. He’ll ask a question about the scene and before I know it, I’m telling him the whole thing. The simple act of verbalizing what’s happening almost always starts breaking down that blockage. And by the time I’m done rambling, I’m ready to get back to the computer. Write anyway – Grab a pen and paper and see what happens. Either the scene you’re stuck on or something else. If it’s that scene, turn it every which way and that, examining every angle, contemplating the approach that you think will work best. Then pick one and just run write with it. Get the scene out of your head and on the page. If it’s not right, you can always fix it. But at least you’ve made it over the hump.
Getting things unstuck isn’t always easy. It can take minutes, hours or days. And as frustrating as it may be, just remember that, sometimes, it may just be God’s way of telling (okay, forcing) us to take a break.
Have you ever found yourself stuck, in writing or in life? Did you get frustrated or did you step back and do something else? What helped you get those creative juices flowing again?

Three-time Carol Award nominee,  Mindy Obenhaus , writes contemporary romance for Love Inspired Books. She’s passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren at her Texas ranch. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com