BOTB2

6/16 - Here's another thought on writer's block: sometimes you just need to start writing. I know I sorta mentioned this before, but it is critical. Write something, anything. You can always go back and add or delete (unlike typewriters of old), but at least you'll have the ball rolling, and sometimes momentum is all that was missing in the first place.

I tend to think of any given scene as a house, consisting of multiple components. Start with the framework - the basic idea you're trying to convey in the scene. Sometimes I write this down as a statement or dialogue just to have the focus handy.

This helps get a lot of the supporting action in place - plumbing, electrical. Then add supportive dialogue - drywall. Finally, flesh it out with creative exposition - carpet, trim, fixtures, etc.

Today I bulled through what will most likely be the final scene of book 2. I've been wanting to write it for awhile, 'cause I know it's gonna be even more cliff-hangy and plot-twisty than the first. So I just started with that critical "he did what?" moment and worked backwards. It's still far from the final version, but I did manage to get some forward progress done, as well as spark a few ideas for other scenes.

Until next week...