Ever feel that spinning roller coaster hyperventilation when no matter how much you pull or push your foot forward/backward, you can't budge? Feels like in a dream, where you want to run but quicksand has a hold on you? NO? Okay, then you are NOT a writer.
Writers would understand my picture above meaning stuck at a story, in other words: WRITER'S BLOCK.
Yikes! Why do those two words frighten so many? My conclusion is that writer's block occurs to many writers because they sit for long periods staring at a blank page, unsure where to continue with their story. Remedy? Put it away for a spell. Leave your muse cells take a break from that story and move on to another one you may have started.
What time apart with one of your babies (manuscripts) does is it allows your mind to unblock with whatever stumbling block there was to begin with.
Maybe you're not moving forward because you keep going back and rereading what you wrote yesterday/last week/last month and giving less time to the actual moving forward writing necesary.
Don't go back and edit your work while writing. Wear your writer's hat, finish the novel/story, and as soon as THE END is penned, then switch to your editor's hat and dissect that first draft to bits and pieces.
Okay, so I jumped from writer's block to wearing two different hats. Hey, I don't have writer's block but tons of ideas and tips in my head and they want to crawl out. I can't help it. I'm a writer.
Have you had writer's block? How did you 'unblock' yourself? I'd love to hear from you.
Lea Schizas
Lea...thanks for stopping in. My problem is I'm too busy wearing the two hats you talked about. I have to remember to write first then edit after the end. Great advice.
ReplyDeleteWarmly,
Donna
Great insight... my mind works overtime until I am in front of the page... and then sometimes it just goes blank.. I also am multi tasking at times and need to put the writing first.. Thanks for the advice.
ReplyDeleteTerri
terri.forehand@gmail.com
http://heartfeltwords4kids.blogspot.com
Terri, I multi-task but always make sure one file containing a story I am working on or an article is always open.As soon as I'm blocked, away it goes and another takes it place. This is the slow process of finishing I know but at least everything is moving ahead instead stagnating.
ReplyDeleteNot editing as I go along is the hardest thing for me. I keep changing and changing, but know I should go ahead. I'm going to work on that.
ReplyDeleteGreat article, Lea.
Beverly
The hardest thing about writing and not editing at the same time is that as the story changes, you must change the story. I have learned to quickly change character's names when I change them, because otherwise they end up printed in the book with a changed name!
ReplyDeleteThere's like 500 books out there with the lead character being Josi when in fact, about chapter five her name is Jolianne. Josi didn't fit the character she became. I suppose it could have been a nickname... ARGH
But then, writer's block isn't a problem for me. I have issues with the keyboard. I can't type fast enough to put all my thought in print.
Blessings,
Jan Verhoeff
http://janverhoeff.com