So how do
you get unstuck?
You have to
find the problem with the story. You might not realize you have one, but if
you’re not making progress, it’s because something is fundamentally wrong with
the book. And the best way to find the problem is to do that thing non-writers
think is goofing off but for writers is actually very hard work.
Stare out a
window and mull things over.
Seriously.
Anyone
tells you this isn’t work, send them to me.
Uncovering
the issue requires you take the time to ask yourself a lot of questions. To get
started, first look at potential problems in the big stuff: character and plot.
For
characters: Do you know your characters well enough? Do you like them? Are you
rooting for them, or are you using them to advance the plot and couldn’t
actually care less about them? Are the characters acting strange? Or do they
feel two-dimensional? Are they heroic if they’re the heroes? Are they scary
enough if they’re the villains? Do they have flaws? Are they too perfect? Do
you know their greatest weakness? Their most embarrassing moment? Do they like
puppies? Sports? Doing puzzles?
If
something just isn’t working with your characters, get to know them better.
People do this in different ways—character interviews, taking a long walk with
the characters, pretending to have actually conversations with them, have the
character write journal entries from the years before the story starts, uncover
their quirks, look for an unexpected fear or disappointment in their past…
Whatever it takes, get to know these people like they’re real. When you do,
you’ll instinctively know how they’ll react in any given situation. This can
get you out of a lot of frustrating roadblocks.
Next look
at the overall plot: Do you have enough going on? Is it too complicated or not
complicated enough? Do you have both internal and external conflicts? Are there
logic problems in the plot? Do you need to do a little more research to find
that fact necessary to moving things along? Are there high and low moments? Do things
get progressively worse for your protagonists?
Take a hard
look at what you have, and decide if it feels right. There’s a kind of
satisfaction when all the elements of a story are working, a sense of
inevitability to the plot—even if things twist and turn and unexpected stuff
happens, it still seems like this is how the story is supposed to go. If you
aren’t feeling that, dig deeper.
Now, if
none of these things seem to be causing the problem, look at the smaller
details. Is the setting wrong for the story you’re trying to tell? Do you need
to add a new point-of-view character to get the full picture across? Do you
need to change the POV you’re using in a particular scene? Are you forcing your
characters to do things they wouldn’t without a really good reason? Are the
conflicts and complications serious enough? Can all the characters’ problems be
solved with a conversation? If that’s the case, you might be turning cartwheels
trying to stretch out a storyline that needs more depth.
Sometimes,
you’ve taken a wrong turn, inserted a plot twist, had a character do a particular
thing, gone in a certain direction, and it gets to be like pulling teeth to
keep writing. This is a good sign things aren’t as they should be. Go back to
the place in the story where things seemed to be going well and it felt right,
then start over from that point.
Consider as
a reader what you want to happen next. This one helped me a lot in a recent
draft because as a reader I wanted things from the book that my writer self
didn’t even consider. Its okay if you
have to dump a bunch of pages and scenes (I know it hurts, but it is necessary
occasionally). The flow you’ll gain by shifting back to the right direction
will have you caught up in no time.
And if all
the thinking and considering and mulling (and coffee and naps and showers)
aren’t working, talk things out with a trusted friend. Or many friends. They
might not have the answers, but that’s not really the point. Often, all it
takes is voicing the problems aloud to help goose your muse. Talking with
friends will help you pinpoint the issues. And once you know what’s not
working, you can fix it. You can fix just about anything. The real problem is
not knowing what the problem is. That’s where writers get stuck.
Step back
from your daily word count or page goals and give yourself the room to dig into
the book. (This really is still work, I promise.) Taking the time to look
critically at what you’re doing and find the things that aren’t working will
give you the information you need to get unstuck. Like a sculptor releasing a
statue from a block of marble, you’ll be able to finish that brilliant book
just waiting to be uncovered. ♥
Isabo Kelly is the award-winning author of multiple fantasy,
science fiction and paranormal romances. Her newest fantasy romance, THE
DARKNESS OF GLENGOWYN (Fire and Tears 2), releases April 29th from Samhain
Publishing. For more on Isabo and her books, visit her at www.isabokelly.com,
follow her on Twitter @IsaboKelly, or friend her on Facebook
www.facebook.com/IsaboKelly
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