My Writer’s Block Solution
Writer’s block is when a writer cannot invent a topic to put to paper. Since I began my adventure, I have never seriously faced this issue. Why? Before I wrote my first book, I had been thinking about the story for 20+ years. I thoroughly understood the plot and did not get hung up during the writing process. I even had enough mental material for the next book in the series.
Yet… My first three books were dumpster fires, which needed severe editing. Fortunately, I discovered outlines before writing my fourth book. This saved me months of editing and vastly improved the quality.
Everything (except marketing) went fine until I got to my eighth and ninth books. They are stuck at the outline stage. For the first time, I am having difficulty creating a basic story. The heart of the matter is that I know the general plot, but the specifics connecting the core concept are nonexistent. I believe this problem is indeed writer’s block.
I have tried three different methods to jog my creative juices. My first idea was to ignore the outline for a week and then confront it. Over time, this procedure vetted some issues, but the core problem remained. My next idea was to talk to my mother (my beta reader) and two fellow authors about the plot. This discussion teased out some good ideas, but I was still stuck. My third idea was to start over with a clean outline. I boldly did this three times, and this technique was the most successful, but I was still stuck.
My core issue remains. I know the basic plot, but there are big holes. I researched what other authors do to overcome writer’s block for this article. The helpful websites suggested scheduling writing time, reading, exercising, forcing writing, and accepting flawed work. Another website recommended talking to a fellow author and using existing material as a starting point.
Girrr. I have learned the hard way never to force myself to write. My life has always had a strict schedule with time set aside for writing, and I do not accept flawed work. Now what? Time to try something new.
A week ago, inspiration hit. ChatGPT. Wait, wait. It’s not what you think. In addition to outlines, I also have developed brief character biographies. So, I wrote ChatGPT, “This is a character biography for Kim (insert). She has problem X. List ways to solve X.” The results were unsatisfying, so I typed, “retry.” It only took three retries to find something that was interesting. Then, I asked ChatGPT to expand that concept. Next, I asked ChatGPT to recommend obstacles for my characters and situations they might encounter.
The experience felt like speaking with a con artist. ChatGPT was trying its best to generate something that would entice me. This feels like talking to a con artist (an expert BS generator). ChatGPT rarely creates something with substance, but every result sounds impressive.
Generator is the perfect word to describe ChatGPT. For example, only so many situations make a person angry. Betrayal, loss, failure… ChatGPT has a database of these situations and connects them with other database parts. Anger caused Kim stress, so she walked around her neighborhood to think about the issue. A failed business caused Kim’s heartache, and she solved it by starting a new business.
ChatGPT provided many ideas, and I plugged them into my outline. It took a week to make my outline for both books strong enough to analyze. I estimate that in 2 months, I will have the confidence to write a first draft.
Important side note: I do not use ChatGPT for writing. Why? Using an AI program to write is not the point. My writing is my writing. Yes, my creations have flaws, but they are from my heart.
Well, is it fair to use a ChatGPT-generated plot? I do not look at the situation this way. I like to think of it as talking to a patient person about my plot with the intent of getting ideas. Also, I did not ask ChatGPT to invent a plot. “Tell me a story about unicorns.” I feel this kind of generated inspiration would be crossing an ethical line. Alright, truth. If I tried that and ChatGPT came up with a better plot than what I was capable of, I would feel defeated.
I suppose I have created a new method for tackling writer’s block. It may not apply to everyone, but I hope my idea will help a few writers develop something wonderful.
You’re the best -Bill
July 10, 2024
Yet… My first three books were dumpster fires, which needed severe editing. Fortunately, I discovered outlines before writing my fourth book. This saved me months of editing and vastly improved the quality.
Everything (except marketing) went fine until I got to my eighth and ninth books. They are stuck at the outline stage. For the first time, I am having difficulty creating a basic story. The heart of the matter is that I know the general plot, but the specifics connecting the core concept are nonexistent. I believe this problem is indeed writer’s block.
I have tried three different methods to jog my creative juices. My first idea was to ignore the outline for a week and then confront it. Over time, this procedure vetted some issues, but the core problem remained. My next idea was to talk to my mother (my beta reader) and two fellow authors about the plot. This discussion teased out some good ideas, but I was still stuck. My third idea was to start over with a clean outline. I boldly did this three times, and this technique was the most successful, but I was still stuck.
My core issue remains. I know the basic plot, but there are big holes. I researched what other authors do to overcome writer’s block for this article. The helpful websites suggested scheduling writing time, reading, exercising, forcing writing, and accepting flawed work. Another website recommended talking to a fellow author and using existing material as a starting point.
Girrr. I have learned the hard way never to force myself to write. My life has always had a strict schedule with time set aside for writing, and I do not accept flawed work. Now what? Time to try something new.
A week ago, inspiration hit. ChatGPT. Wait, wait. It’s not what you think. In addition to outlines, I also have developed brief character biographies. So, I wrote ChatGPT, “This is a character biography for Kim (insert). She has problem X. List ways to solve X.” The results were unsatisfying, so I typed, “retry.” It only took three retries to find something that was interesting. Then, I asked ChatGPT to expand that concept. Next, I asked ChatGPT to recommend obstacles for my characters and situations they might encounter.
The experience felt like speaking with a con artist. ChatGPT was trying its best to generate something that would entice me. This feels like talking to a con artist (an expert BS generator). ChatGPT rarely creates something with substance, but every result sounds impressive.
Generator is the perfect word to describe ChatGPT. For example, only so many situations make a person angry. Betrayal, loss, failure… ChatGPT has a database of these situations and connects them with other database parts. Anger caused Kim stress, so she walked around her neighborhood to think about the issue. A failed business caused Kim’s heartache, and she solved it by starting a new business.
ChatGPT provided many ideas, and I plugged them into my outline. It took a week to make my outline for both books strong enough to analyze. I estimate that in 2 months, I will have the confidence to write a first draft.
Important side note: I do not use ChatGPT for writing. Why? Using an AI program to write is not the point. My writing is my writing. Yes, my creations have flaws, but they are from my heart.
Well, is it fair to use a ChatGPT-generated plot? I do not look at the situation this way. I like to think of it as talking to a patient person about my plot with the intent of getting ideas. Also, I did not ask ChatGPT to invent a plot. “Tell me a story about unicorns.” I feel this kind of generated inspiration would be crossing an ethical line. Alright, truth. If I tried that and ChatGPT came up with a better plot than what I was capable of, I would feel defeated.
I suppose I have created a new method for tackling writer’s block. It may not apply to everyone, but I hope my idea will help a few writers develop something wonderful.
You’re the best -Bill
July 10, 2024
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