So, I’ve been working on a new book. And — maybe not coincidentally — I’ve been thinking about writer’s block.
Writer’s Block
Some writers get it. Some don’t. A few don’t believe in it. BUT: I get blocked. I do. And when I do, it feels gross. I get a little panicky. My body just won’t settle. It’s like I’m sitting on my keys all the time, I just can’t get comfortable. Something is gnawing at my brain and I just don’t know what to do. And I feel like I can’t go on. Like, I should say to the book, leave me here to die in the desert. Don’t worry about me. Just forget about me.
BUT…
I think I’ve been thinking about it because I have a theory what writer’s block really is for me. It’s about decision fatigue. Writing is a series of decisions. “Where is the scene set?” “Who’s in the scene?” What are they after?” “OH, NO, WHAT ARE THEY WEARING?” Even “what comes next?” is a decision. And, yes, thinking and writing isn’t as physically demanding as many, many jobs, but literally making decisions and thinking expends calories. So, yes, you can literally exhaust yourself from thinking, from writing.
And for me… “what comes next?” is always the question I’m asking… Sometimes it’s obvious. Other times the little lizard brain comes out with an idea and I go with it. But there are times when… after a long run of work… it feels like… the ideas… just… stop… coming.
(And I can hear the voices of Plotter’s crying out… “See, this is why you should outline…!” And I will look at them and whisper… “No.” And I’ll also say… don’t you get blocked when you’re making your outlines…?)
Cool story, bro. So what?
Sooooo. I’ve also had thoughts on decision fatigue!
There’s a couple of different ways of dealing with decision fatigue. Let’s dispense with the easiest first.
Get some rest. Take a break. Drink some water. Step away from the work. Maybe you need to step away for fifteen minutes. Maybe it’s an hour. Or maybe — because you’ve worked yourself to some really bad mental exhaustion — you need to take a week. Whatever works. Get that rest. You deserve it.
But, maybe, you’re under a deadline or you’re really do want to work because you don’t want to lose contact with the work… I get that.
For me, when I’m experiencing decision fatigue, I find its much easier to keep going than to start. It’s always beginning where I have to answer one of the questions listed above… where are we? Who is in the scene? Etc, etc. So, when I’m blocked, i.e., fatigued, I can’t make a decision. Or more specifically I can’t make the “right” decision because I’m paralyzed afraid to make the “wrong” decision.
But I just need to make a choice. Just something to get me over the hump of starting.
Here are some ideas that might get you going.
- Start with dialogue. Doesn’t have to be anything about the plot. Just one of your characters talking to another. Don’t worry about dialogue tags. Location. Just back and forth dialogue.
- Choose one of the locations you’ve already used. You don’t have to create anything new! Maybe it’s a character familiar with the location, maybe it’s one of the characters who have never been there.
- Choose an object in your field of vision — something low stakes — and one of your characters is trying to get it from one of your other characters.
- Pick a word from a dictionary or a quote and that kicks off a scene.
- One of my favorites, what’s a bad idea for a scene? Choose from one of the ideas you thought “this is dumb, no one should ever read it.”
All of these ideas are just to get you (and me when I’m stuck) started. None of them are about writing great scenes. (I don’t know how to write a great scene right from the first go. I know the elements of a great scene and I know how to rewrite something into a great scene.) These five suggestions are meant to get you going when you’re stuck and you should absolutely rewrite whatever you make from them.
I want to leave you with this quote from Frank Herbert, author of Dune.
A man is a fool not to put everything he has, at any given moment, into what he is creating. You’re there now doing the thing on paper. You’re not killing the goose, you’re just producing an egg. So I don’t worry about inspiration, or anything like that. It’s a matter of just sitting down and working. I have never had the problem of a writing block. I’ve heard about it. I’ve felt reluctant to write on some days, for whole weeks, or sometimes even longer. I’d much rather go fishing, for example, or go sharpen pencils, or go swimming, or what not. But, later, coming back and reading what I have produced, I am unable to detect the difference between what came easily and when I had to sit down and say, “Well, now it’s writing time and now I’ll write.” There’s no difference on paper between the two. — Frank Herbert
Finally, writer’s block isn’t a permanent state. (OK, yeah, there were writer’s who never wrote again, but I suspect there was something more going on than merely creative indecision.) So, look at it for what it is: you’re tired, you need a break or outside inspiration to just get started.
If you enjoy this blog, I’d recommend you sign up for my newsletter! Besides news and upcoming appearances, it also has book recommendations! (Here’s a place you can find past recommendations!) And who doesn’t like more to read? And speaking of reading, if you haven’t had a chance to check out one of my books, you can CLICK here on the website, or even buy the ebook directly from me and save yourself some money!