Things to try when you’re stuck on the plot
I think all writers have been there at one time or another. You’ll be happily writing a story, content that your plan is sorted and knowing completely where you’re going. Then somehow, you don’t know where you’re going anymore. That tricky scene that your entire story depends on isn’t working as you want it to, or the second half of the plot doesn’t make as much sense as it did, or you’re simply not as satisfied with it as you were when you wrote the plan.
Getting stuck on the plot is not an uncommon problem. Here are a few things you could try to help get past it and move on with your writing.
Work it through backwards
If you know the intended outcome of your plot, that can be a good place to start. Look at the ending and then map out what needs to happen before it in order to achieve the outcome you want.
Have something surprising happen
If you’re stuck on a tricky scene and you can’t see a way of getting out of it, have something surprising happen. Have someone get shot unexpectedly, or have an unrelated incident happen just to get things moving again. You can always edit it out later, but for now just focusing on moving past the block.
Put yourself in your character’s shoes
Imagine you are your character. Don’t worry about any plan you might have for the time being, just put yourself in your character’s shoes. Think about the situation you’ve set up. Now, what do you do?
Write a scene later on
Sometimes, you’ve got a plan and you know what needs to be done but a particular scene is just proving difficult to write. If that’s the case, leave a space, write *insert scene about X here* and move on to the next bit. Occasionally, admitting (temporary) defeat and going back to the tricky bit at a later date is the best course of action.
Take yourself away for a while
When you’re really stuck on the plot and can’t see a way through it, try taking yourself away from the story for a while. Go for a walk, read a book, have a meal, go to sleep. Don’t worry about the plot. Sometimes we spend so long trying to work out how to fix a plot hole or how to unravel a tangle we’ve got ourselves into we lose all perspective of it. Distance can be a good thing, and hopefully you’ll come back to it fresh and ready to solve the problem.
