Good Friends Old and New

It's official. I've decided that the theme for March, my third blogoversary month, is:

Good Friends Old and New

Not that you need a theme for a blogoversary, but hey, why not? I've met so many great people through blogging, I thought it would be a good opportunity to celebrate wonderful friends. So this month I will include a few special features from friends old and new.

Allow me to introduce you to author Naomi Dathan. Naomi emailed me and asked about doing a guest post. I decided the post she offered would be a good fit for Write Now. Naomi's thoughts apply to fiction and nonfiction writers, so, without further ado...

Six Ways To Get Your Writing Moving Again

by Naomi Dathan

“Aaaaauuugh!” screeched an author friend.  “I can’t write!  Why can’t I write?”

We’ve all been there.  A tired brain, too many distractions, burn out, or that niggling worry that every word you write will end up on the trash heap before you’re done.  You’ve got your story arc figured out, and maybe you even know where you’re headed in this scene.  But the words clog up in your brain before they can filter down to your fingertips.   What can you do?

Here are six things you can do to unclog your writing synapses:

1.       Invoke the Two Sentence Rule.  Write two sentences.  Just the next two.  They might be stilted or sound ridiculous.  Write them anyway.  Now, does a third sentence come to mind?  No? Take a minute, go look out the window or pet the dog.  Then come back and write two more sentences.  Repeat until the writing juices are flowing rapidly and smoothly, causing your phone to ring and your child to storm into the house with a skinned knee and a stray, one-eyed cat.

2.       Decide to write badly.  If you take your writing vocation seriously, you won’t wait for moments of inspiration.  You’ll accept the drudgery that comes with every calling, and you’ll say what you need to say badly, until you can figure out how to say it well.

3.       Come at it from another direction.  If the words aren’t coming, mix it up.  If you’re writing in the third person, switch to the first person for three paragraphs.  Yes, you’ll have to fix it later.  But maybe it will give you fresh insight into your character.  If your characters seem to be going through the motions, toss something new and random at them.  Have a baby crawl on set.  Stage a short earthquake that changes everyone’s perception.  It doesn’t matter if you ultimately keep this part, because you already agreed in Step Two to write badly.  Somehow writing always leads to other writing.  Stay mindful of your goals and work your way back.

4.       Try a new method.  Sometimes just breaking out of your routine is enough to get your story moving again.  Employ family members to act out the unwritten next scene with you (this will involve a sugary bribe).  Try recording instead of typing.  Story-board the next scene and jot dialogue into bubbles.  I met my deadline for one book by buying software that transcribes as you speak into the microphone.  Fascinated by the this new technology, I wrote over 6000 words in a day.  Yes, all of these methods take up time that could be better spent writing.  But stalking past your computer giving it hard looks as you go for another bowl of ice cream doesn’t really count as writing anyway.

5.       Employ positive or negative reinforcement.  I know of two sites designed for writers who are mired in story mud.  The cutest one is www.writtenkitten.net.   Set your word goal at, say, 100 words.  You type into the left half of the screen, and every time you accumulate another 100 words, an adorable kitten photo appears on the right side of the screen.

If you aren’t moved by adorable kittens, try www.writeordie.com.  Set your word goal and your punishment level and start typing.  Stop, and you’re punished – anything from an abruptly screaming siren (embarrassing in waiting rooms) to kamikaze level, which starts backspacing until you’re back on task.  This one is brutal.  I use it often.    Be vigilant about saving your documents with these, and, in fact, I always select and copy my text before closing the program, just in case.  I’ve made some costly mistakes.

6.       Get by with a little help from your friends.  No one “gets it” like another writer.  Your writer friends will sympathize, brainstorm with you, and make horrible story suggestions that your brain will reflexively reject by generating better ones.  Your truest writer friends will also bring you chocolate, but won’t stay to chat.

Naomi Dathan is the author of Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go (Kirkdale Press).  Visit her website here.

Thank you, Naomi, for sharing your insight. These are great tips for getting the wheels turning again. :)

When your writing stalls out, how do you get it back on track?

Have any fabulous weekend plans?

Happy writing,

Karen 

Image credit: Stock Exchange