Sticky Situations

Every writer gets stuck. Some stare at a blank screen and write nothing. Others write reams of meaningless dialogue or gigabytes of unessential internal monologue. Choose your poison.

This can happen when:

• the writer has painted him/herself into a corner
• the writer doesn’t know what happens next
• nothing is happening in the novel
• events in the writer’s personal life, good or bad, are absorbing too much energy

One effective antidote is to write a completely different scene. Choose a scene where the protagonist falls in love or finally punches the guy who deserves it. Choose an emotional scene, an action scene or the final scene. Choose any scene that’s going somewhere.

Pour your heart out. This day’s writing is a gift to yourself. So, don’t skimp because you deserve the best.

In a day or so, look back at the new scene, tinker a little, decide what you like and what you don’t like. Revise. Bask in the excellence of your writing.

Once you’ve convinced yourself that you’ve got this writing thing, scroll back to several chapters before the place you got stuck. Read with an eye to where the problem started. Once you know where the difficulty occurred, the stuck scene will be easier to fix.