STUMPED (for writers)

There is a large stump in my backyard (see Stumped, the blog). This thing is an inspirational: big and hard and almost impossible to move. I am going to keep it in my backyard, right outside my office to remind me that a writer is never truly stumped.

-If we write ourselves into a corner, we can do one of two things. First, we can get really creative and write our way out of it. Working hard to figure it out will make a better book. Or, we can go back and change what we’ve written. The second option would involved lots of changes and possibly use of the delete key. Either option is labor intensive. One involves moving forward and the other backward. I like the forward option. Either way, the author is no longer stumped.

-The stump in my backyard is big and solid. At one time it was the foundation of a huge tree. It reminds me to make sure the premise I am building my story on is wide enough and deep enough and dense enough to build my novel on.

-Finally, if you’re really stumped, move on and leave it in your writing ‘garden’ as a reminder that not every tree survives or thrives.

 

 

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This article is copyright ©  Rebecca Forster