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I'm just curious if any of you take breaks from writing for a short period of time. I am completely stuck and have been for over a week. I'm about 70,000 words into the story and haven't a clue as to how I'm going to get from where I am to where I want to be. I've tried going back several scenes to see if I got off track somewhere but when I rewrote them, I ended up back in the same place. And it's not a bad place to be; I just don't know which way to go from here.
Everyone is telling me to take a break for a few days. I've been going at it non-stop, except when I'm at work or asleep since November, except for a three-week stint where I was on bed rest and couldn't think past the Percocet.
I personally don't think that's so long a time that I should be "burned out" yet, as my husband suggests. But I do seem to be wasting a lot of time staring at a blank Word document for days on end.
Would a break help? What do you guys do? I'm thinking of getting into a computer game or something that takes my mind away from writing for a bit. If I try to go for a walk or something like that then I just keep hammering away in my head, trying to find that one nugget I'm missing.
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Take a break, at the very least from this project. If you find that you can't write anything else either because you keep thinking of this one story, then read something that really engages your full attention. If you go for a walk or something, do so while listening to music that has uplifting lyrics (I'll leave the definition of "uplifting" to you, the important thing is that your mind be engaged with the lyrics rather than your own writing).
I'm not utterly opposed to videogames, but they aren't an optimum solution for this kind of problem. Watching some good movies would be better, frankly. Reading a few old friends will be much better, and actually doing something and experiencing it would be best of all.
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I liked all of Survivor's suggestions except the suggestion not to do videogames. I do Sims2 quite a lot.
I get my best ideas in the bathtub, but sometimes a complete break works.
If after the break the words still aren't coming I would suggest writing something completely different. I believe it cleanses the pallet and reminds you that you CAN write. Even a little flash fiction is good. Michelle
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For a short story it's either all at once, or I write half and can't figure the other.
For my novel, I did a scene-by-scene outline first. I highly recommend it! I still got stuck, but when that happened I knew what I was stuck on, specifically, so my mind could go to work on it.
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Oh, don't get me wrong about video games. But for me, they are a first resort in taking a break rather than a last resort. Part of the reason that they are a first resort is because of the convenience, but I also believe that if everything else has failed a video game isn't going to help much.
Posts: 8322 | Registered: Aug 1999
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MichelleAnn, I hope you don't do Sims2 in the bathtub! Very electrifying.
One thing I like to do when the block happens is get out the old pad of paper and pen and go to a quiet place (ie sit by the side of the river, sit out in the back yard and the early morning in the quiet unless it's winter of course, then sit somewhere warm! Go to a mall and watch weird people.) Any way you get the idea.
I would also agree with trying something different. It lets your head work on the problem of your blocked story in the subconscious while you think of other things.
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One thing you mention is that you don't know how to get from where you are to where you want to be. Which implies that you know where you want to be. May I suggest that you just skip the intervening scenes and write the section where you want to be? Once you've got that down it'll probably be easier to fill in the blanks.
Posts: 2022 | Registered: Jul 2003
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I would go with most of the above suggestions. I also find that when I'm stuck going back to doing research helps. Research keeps me interested in the subject I'm writing about, and it often offers inspiration.
Posts: 64 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Is anyone else reading this as you are writing it?
Sometimes an outside observer will think of something you didn't or say something that just makes an idea click. When I'm working on a big project (something I haven't done in a while), I like to have someone shadowing the story for me. This gives me someone to bounce ideas off and someone who can help keep me going.
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All those suggestions are wonderful. The video game thing didn't work out after all. The xbox broke right as I got started. Of course. And I'd cause an avalanche in my closet digging out the PC game CDs.
So, I'm going back and working on some back story. Like you said, hopefully it will provide new details that will jump start my brain. I like the idea of skipping ahead and writing the scenes I do know. I had not thought of that. I tend to be very linear when I'm writing.
Robyn_Hood - I really wish I had someone reading through the piece as I went. I used to have a friend do that for me years ago but now we live across the country from each other and she's very busy so the 10 scenes I emailed her months ago still have not come back to me. And my husband won't read it until it's done. So....I kind of have to go it alone. Which is fine. I just have to reboot my brain so that I can start thinking again. It's kind of frozen right now.
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Haven't read all the posts. I just don't have the time to keep up with all the discussion you guys have on the weekends without me!
Here's what I'd do: 1. (And this is the hard one) You've already gone back and rewritten, but have you gone back far enough? Writing to me is like a road with a million forks to choose from. If you choose the wrong fork you come to a dead end and have to go back to the intersection that will lead you in the right direction. And that may be back more forks than you might want to face. But if you do, it'll be well worth it. 2. Write something else. Work on a short story. I think too many beginning writers overlook the value of short stories in building their career and giving them practice in the elements that will make them a great novelist. It is, IMO, the single most valuable way to build a resume that will put your manuscript at, or near, the top of the slush pile. 3. Do some research. It doesn't matter the topic. Just pick one--at random from the encyclopedia maybe. But research always gives me ideas, either for new stories or jump starts my brain on developing an existing one. 4. Don't be idle. If nothing else, pick up a book on writing and study it. If you ask, you'll have plenty of suggestions from the folks around here as to which books they've found valuable in developing them as writers. You could also spend some time at the library studying other writers. I frequently recommend spending an hour or two just randomly taking books off the shelves and reading the first few paragraphs, or a random chapter, just to see what kind of work is making publication. The truth is, a lot of the time doing so gives me hope that I'll get published someday too, since so much of what's available is, IMO, subpar to what I have come to consider quality. My standards, since putting a serious effort into writing, have risen dramatically. I hope that translates into my own writing quality as well.
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TSJR - I don't have time to read everything you've got, but, if you could write up a summary of the events so far, I'd be willing to help with some brainstorming off that.
Posts: 1473 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Stephen King said when he hits a writer's block that is really tough, that he will "just for fun" kill of the characters or some other completely out of plot action and see what happens.
He said he was going to quit writing the STAND, but decided on a whim to kill off the main characters and WHAM his story was done and better than what he had already planned.
When I get writer's block I quit writing and just enjoy life a little, read a little, go and do stuff. The funny thing is that even though I am not actively working on the story it sorta bubbles and slow cooks in my subconscious and a break thru occurs. Sometimes a day or even a few weeks will go by. But once I turn off the pressure, the story just sorta slow cooks on its own.
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JB - I laughed my head off reading what Stephen King does. I've actually wanted to do that a lot! When one of my characters gets boring or just doesn't cooperate...off with his head! I just might try that. If nothing else, it'd make me feel better. As for going out and enjoying life...I have no life other than work and writing. I'm a complete hermit. If I could work from home more often I'd never leave the house. But perhaps it is time for me to get off my butt and go join that Hakido class I've been thinking of taking...
[This message has been edited by TaShaJaRo (edited March 01, 2005).]
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I take short vacations from writing and my other creative hobbies. I try to give myself at least a week of down-time. It is really hard to do, because I don't allow myself to do anything creative during that time. Afterwards, I am always full of ideas and ready to get back to work. I think it helps me build up my "creative charge".
Another thing I do is kinda weird, but works well. For some reason, my mind is really active right after I wake up in the morning. So I try to think about my story while I'm in the shower. Maybe it's because I'm kinda stumbling around only half awake. Maybe my subconcious is still engaged. Whatever, it works.
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