Unclogging a Stuck Writer

In the life of a writer, a day can make all the difference, as these two journal entries show. Read 'em and be encouraged. Then start scrubbing! Who knows what you'll uncover...

Jan. 14, 2013

Stuck! Stuck! Stuck!

I am stuck on a scene in my WIP. Grr. Writing this novel feels like mining for diamonds. Are they in there, under the rock? I'm such a dwarf, chipping away. My head lamp burns low. Where have the faeries gone to sprinkle magic dust on my efforts? I'm mentally exhausted from other efforts. Blogging, marketing, catching up on emails, responding to questions that have nothing even remotely to do with writing a masterpiece -- or anything else.

 

Jan. 16, 2013

    

Once we removed a gas tank from our car to find the leak and fix it. We'd been able to smell it. A stain had grown on the side of the tank amid the dirt and rust. But where was that hole? Jeff took a wire brush to it and started scraping away the rust and dirt, when suddenly, not one hole, but dozens of tiny holes appeared. The tank was riddled with them like a sieve! The tank had become a virtual gusher!

    

Yesterday my writing was like that. I brushed away the rust in my brain, the dirt clogging the story. Slowly at first, and then suddenly, the story poured forth, running out onto the page!

    

What a difference a day makes. What a difference a little prodding, a  little scrubbing away, a little searching makes.

    

I can't wait to write today.

#WriteTip:

If you're stuck, pull out some research for your story and start perusing it. It might inspire you with a scene or a way to heighten conflict. When all else fails, look through the appendix. Sometimes a word will inspire an idea. I once wrote an entire novel after finding the phrase "casket girl" in an appendix of a history book.

Write on!