What's Up? When You're Stuck in Your Writing

I know, I know, today's just one of those days when you're stuck in the muck. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed this morning too. That is, until I looked outside.

Another sunny day. (Sorry you folks who are on the east coast).



It's a funny thing, this weather. And though I'm enjoying it immensely, I am also hoping there's not a water shortage later on.

Kind of like getting stuck.

You're sort of going with the flow; pun intended, when suddenly everything changes. You're up to your eyeballs in snow or writing projects, except (and this is a big one) nothing will come. You sit there staring at a blank screen or a blank piece of paper hoping that something, anything will come to you.

I have spoken a few times about writer's block and what I do to get through it; i.e., go to another project, take a walk, look through magazine pictures and write about something you see using the five senses, but I haven't spoken about being truly stuck, and I think it's an important subject to discuss.

Getting stuck may mean writer's block, but it may also mean that something large enough to stop you, maybe even for good, is blocking your path. To be honest? Sometimes I am stopped, not because I can't think of anything to say for whatever reason, but because something needs to be changed in my writing.

I have had to change a scene. I have had to change what a character says. I have to get the character's name right :), I have to fix a hole in the plot or re-in-vision a secondary character who has suddenly, and without warning, become the main character. And that may mean revamping my story to make the secondary character the main character. I have had to scrap chapters that don't work or a slow beginning.

Have you?



Getting stuck is no fun but it does present a great opportunity if we take a look head on and ask ourselves why we're really stuck. If it's because we are simply 'lazy' fine, take care of it, but if it's more than that, it's important that we take a second look so we can get out of the grandest muck of them all and continue with our story to its final end.

Kathryn