Cintia
asked
Kate Quinn:
Hi, my name is Cintia and I'm from Argentina. Being a writer is what I want the most in this world, nothing makes me happier than writing, but I'm more and more frustrated with each passing day, because I've been blocked for 3 years. And it is not that I have an unfinished story. I have NOTHING AT ALL. A blank page in front of me, that only makes me sadder... Is there a way to overcome this? How do you handle it?
Kate Quinn
Three years - ouch. I had a bad patch where I went over a year without writing a book, and it was horrible. What finally worked for me was the following. I don't know if it'll work for you, but it worked for me:
First, I stopped telling ANYBODY what I was writing about. Because when I looked back in the middle of my writer's block, I realized that I'd had a number of good ideas that I discussed with my usual batch of friends/critique partners, only to have those ideas fizzle as soon as they came out into open air. No idea why, but talking about the ideas meant they didn't happen - and that's odd, because I discuss everything I write (and still do). But for some reason, at this time, talking about the projects was killing them. So I stopped for a while. (Conversely, if you never talk about your writing projects, try talking about it for a change, whether with a critique partner or with a fellow writers group. See if a new perspective gets you going in a different way. The point is, change it up from your norm.)
Second, I gave up on the idea of trying to write a book; I just tried for something shorter and less ambitious. I'd have settled for a haiku as long as I could finish it. Try changing the form of what you want to write; see if the tension lifts.
Third, I started reading everything I could get my hands on, even more than I usually did. Started reading way outside my genre, too. When you're reading only in your genre, often the thought process is "I suck, why can't I come up with an idea like this?" or "This is so awesome, I'm analyzing every line of this, but I can't reproduce it . . ." So go outside your genre, because then you just enjoy your reading, and that's when synapses start firing. I got one of the best hist-fic ideas I ever had from "Ender's Game." Something totally outside your wheelhouse might jolt your imagination in a completely different way.
Writer's block sucks, I know. I hope it lifts for you soon!
First, I stopped telling ANYBODY what I was writing about. Because when I looked back in the middle of my writer's block, I realized that I'd had a number of good ideas that I discussed with my usual batch of friends/critique partners, only to have those ideas fizzle as soon as they came out into open air. No idea why, but talking about the ideas meant they didn't happen - and that's odd, because I discuss everything I write (and still do). But for some reason, at this time, talking about the projects was killing them. So I stopped for a while. (Conversely, if you never talk about your writing projects, try talking about it for a change, whether with a critique partner or with a fellow writers group. See if a new perspective gets you going in a different way. The point is, change it up from your norm.)
Second, I gave up on the idea of trying to write a book; I just tried for something shorter and less ambitious. I'd have settled for a haiku as long as I could finish it. Try changing the form of what you want to write; see if the tension lifts.
Third, I started reading everything I could get my hands on, even more than I usually did. Started reading way outside my genre, too. When you're reading only in your genre, often the thought process is "I suck, why can't I come up with an idea like this?" or "This is so awesome, I'm analyzing every line of this, but I can't reproduce it . . ." So go outside your genre, because then you just enjoy your reading, and that's when synapses start firing. I got one of the best hist-fic ideas I ever had from "Ender's Game." Something totally outside your wheelhouse might jolt your imagination in a completely different way.
Writer's block sucks, I know. I hope it lifts for you soon!
More Answered Questions
Kalala Anae
asked
Kate Quinn:
Hi, I just finished reading your book "Mistress of Rome" and it was phenomenal. My search for the rest of your books has been extremely challenging. Its seems that your books are quite rare in New Zealand. So I guess what I'm trying to ask is, is the rest of the"Empress of Rome" series available to read online? . If they aren't that's fine, I will still carry on my search.
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