Hello!

It’s been a little while since I joined my friends at RWW for a blog hop. This week’s topic from Jenna Da Sie speaks to me all to well, though, so I had to jump on-board.

How Do You Deal With Writer’s Block?

Writer’s block. Some people think it’s a myth, an excuse to procrastinate. I confess, I was once one of those people. I’m fortunate in that the block doesn’t attack me very often. I suffer more from writer’s atrophy. If I stop writing, it’s insanely hard to start up again. And when I do, the words just aren’t good.

To combat this, I do a number of things. Sometimes, I write drabbles of around 100 words on any topic that happens to be in my head at the time.

I’ll do one now about, what else? Writer’s Block:

I type and delete the words fifteen times before I find the phrase that sticks with me. The one that has the right tone, rhythm, and punch to carry me forward into the next sentence. With any luck, it’ll be the trickle that turns into a gush of ideas. A story falling from my fingertips as easy as April rain. Or. Or it’ll be a struggle to translate the scenes in my head into lines on a page that anyone, anywhere, would ever want to read. Myself included. I will push, pull, cajole, beg, borrow, and steal (no, not really) to breathe life into a character. I will take an axe to the block, a chisel, and carve my way to a finished book.

Word count: 124
Time: < 3 minutes

That’s one way I deal with the dreaded stoppage. I feel energized now! I’m itching to write more, but I stopped myself. Best to save that energy for the actual book. Other methods include listening to music that inspires me, watching a favourite scene from a film or TV show, or re-reading a passage in a book that has stayed with me. If I get stuck on one project, I pick up the next one. That method is particularly effective for a pantser like me. 🙂

Next up, see how the lovely A.S. Fenichel, author of Foolish Bride, deals with writer’s block.