Lu Etchells
I'm not sure I really have a solution.
If I'm just having an off-day, then I'll leave it. I'll walk away, do something else. I've never found there to be much point in pushing these things, my creativity definitely suffers if I force it.
If it's a longer running slump, then it's usually because there's something else going on external to my writing. It's rarely the characters or the process that's the problem. So, I'll grab a dog (there are 4 to pick from) and go for a walk in the woods to clear my head. Usually that helps me figure out what's bugging me - and pathetically it may just be that I really need to give the house a clean, or I've got a bill I need to pay that I've forgotten about.
If none of that works, then I just brainstorm. I look back at what I've got and try to find something I'm not happy with. If I can't write a chapter it's invariably because my subconscious is telling me it doesn't work, or there's something wrong with it. I can't force that. I have to listen, and go back and re do.
So far, a combination of the above has always lured me back to the screen.
If I'm just having an off-day, then I'll leave it. I'll walk away, do something else. I've never found there to be much point in pushing these things, my creativity definitely suffers if I force it.
If it's a longer running slump, then it's usually because there's something else going on external to my writing. It's rarely the characters or the process that's the problem. So, I'll grab a dog (there are 4 to pick from) and go for a walk in the woods to clear my head. Usually that helps me figure out what's bugging me - and pathetically it may just be that I really need to give the house a clean, or I've got a bill I need to pay that I've forgotten about.
If none of that works, then I just brainstorm. I look back at what I've got and try to find something I'm not happy with. If I can't write a chapter it's invariably because my subconscious is telling me it doesn't work, or there's something wrong with it. I can't force that. I have to listen, and go back and re do.
So far, a combination of the above has always lured me back to the screen.
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