Ah, the universal problem for a writer.
Favorite ways to get your story moving again! This month's topic:
It (writers' block) often appears when the story is running smoothly....that is, until either your hero or heroine refuses to go along with your plotline. This is when 'storyland' begins to get ugly! 😕
What steps do I take? (Whining, crying, or insisting your characters conform, is pointless.--I learned that the hard way).
☕ Coffee, a brief break in my garden, or listening to calming music will often work.
An idea 💭will pop into my head--or one of the 'characters will tell me what will happen next.
Other times, nothing seems to work.
This is known as the "Dark Moment" when All Is Lost!
#
Since I write multiple novels simultaneously, I'll pull out another story to edit, work on a blog post, or simply leave the story alone for a day or two. 💻
I may leave the story alone, but subconsciously, I'm still thinking about it and dreaming.
I can't say I always come up with a way to complete a story, but I do most of the time.
Please visit my other author friends and find out how they get their stories moving again.
An author's favorite moment?
Typing "The End."
Happy Reading, everyone!
Connie
XOXO
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Dr. Bob Rich --- https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2CG
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://rhobincourtright.com
I too have tried the whining and the crying thing with my characters, but to no avail. I've even threatened to kill one off if he didn't get in line. (Though it turned out that I didn't need him anyway and I ended up merging that character with another, which made the novel better.) But it comforts me to know I'm not the only author to stomp their feet at recalcitrant characters.
ReplyDeleteShort but to the point! I need to start working on multiple stories at the same time. Maybe I'm stalled because too many voices are speaking within my mind? Or maybe just because they aren't being answered? Don't know, but I'm going to try your method. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of letting the story percolate beneath the surface while jumping into another story. I ran into a total roadblock with the second book in my new mystery series which I'd like to blame on the Covid disruption of everyone's lives, but in reality, my detective had other ideas. So I put her aside and returned to my multi-book romance series and that new story is almost finished so here's hoping your plan was working while I wasn't paying attention - either that or I let my detective have it HER way. Or maybe a little of both.
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