Sydney Strand
I don't believe in writer's block. (If I don't believe in it, I can't have it, right?) I do believe in:
-Feeling swamped and believing you have too little time to write. This happens sometimes. As in one day every few weeks. It can't be longer than this or the writing muscles atrophy. If you need to find the time, write a checklist for the next day. Be realistic, and put down "Write for 15 minutes" or "Write 100 words."
-Feeling overwhelmed by the story and wanting to curl up in bed with a week supply of Ben & Jerry's. If this happens, I put my work into divided chapters, using a product like Scrivener, and only work on one chapter at a time, not even thinking about the other ones. I give myself time or word count limits to make going forward manageable and not so overwhelming.
-Feeling lost. Sometimes, the story can overrun you. The plot is all over the place, the character(s) is/are schizophrenic. This is when I go back to my outline and write down what I wrote. Such as:
-Maggie is on the side of a deserted road at midnight
-A car pulls up, and two strange men come out
-She's happy
Right there, I can see where I've started to go wrong. Why is she HAPPY to see a car with two strange men on a deserted road at midnight? So not good. Revise, REVISE!
-Feeling like your story isn't good enough, either because you're having a low day or you've just read a bad review. I make sure to remind myself that I'm having fun. This isn't a bomb with 10 seconds left on it before it detonates and destroys the world. This is a fun book you sat down to write. Remember the fun. REMEMBER THE FUN!
-Feeling swamped and believing you have too little time to write. This happens sometimes. As in one day every few weeks. It can't be longer than this or the writing muscles atrophy. If you need to find the time, write a checklist for the next day. Be realistic, and put down "Write for 15 minutes" or "Write 100 words."
-Feeling overwhelmed by the story and wanting to curl up in bed with a week supply of Ben & Jerry's. If this happens, I put my work into divided chapters, using a product like Scrivener, and only work on one chapter at a time, not even thinking about the other ones. I give myself time or word count limits to make going forward manageable and not so overwhelming.
-Feeling lost. Sometimes, the story can overrun you. The plot is all over the place, the character(s) is/are schizophrenic. This is when I go back to my outline and write down what I wrote. Such as:
-Maggie is on the side of a deserted road at midnight
-A car pulls up, and two strange men come out
-She's happy
Right there, I can see where I've started to go wrong. Why is she HAPPY to see a car with two strange men on a deserted road at midnight? So not good. Revise, REVISE!
-Feeling like your story isn't good enough, either because you're having a low day or you've just read a bad review. I make sure to remind myself that I'm having fun. This isn't a bomb with 10 seconds left on it before it detonates and destroys the world. This is a fun book you sat down to write. Remember the fun. REMEMBER THE FUN!
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