Daren M. Stottrup
Writer's block looks different for different people. For me, I've never had a shortage of ideas. But what I do often face is what I would call "between-scene inertia." This occurs after a writing session where I have finished a scene. The next day, I know what needs to be written next, but I can't get myself to start. There are a four ways I combat this:
1.) Re-read the previous scene or two. Hopefully that will stimulate momentum.
2.) Having a good idea as to what the next scene is going to include (thinking in specific details, like what words a character is going to say and what actions they are going to perform.)
3.) Give myself permission to write something awful. My computer has a DELETE key, and I'm allowed to use it.
4.) Stopping a writing session before the scene is over. This forces me to jump into the already flowing stream of ideas and use that momentum to begin the next scene. (This is the hardest for me to accomplish, because I find few things more satisfying than reading over a successfully completed scene.)
1.) Re-read the previous scene or two. Hopefully that will stimulate momentum.
2.) Having a good idea as to what the next scene is going to include (thinking in specific details, like what words a character is going to say and what actions they are going to perform.)
3.) Give myself permission to write something awful. My computer has a DELETE key, and I'm allowed to use it.
4.) Stopping a writing session before the scene is over. This forces me to jump into the already flowing stream of ideas and use that momentum to begin the next scene. (This is the hardest for me to accomplish, because I find few things more satisfying than reading over a successfully completed scene.)
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more