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Written by Elizabeth Genco
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Tuesday, 04 October 2005 |
Writer's block? Yeah, well, whatever. Following up on last week's BIG POND, Elizabeth weighs in on the topic with a baker's dozen ways to bid adieu to the blank screen, including some you've never heard before.
You all know by now that I love pontificating, but what can I say about writer's block that hasn't been said before? I'll get right down to business.
Stuck, are you? Tried talking to your friends and it didn't help? Here are a few more of the block-crushing ideas I've amassed over my short writing stint. Be sure to read them all -- some oldies but goodies live here for sure, but so do a few hidden gems.
1. Think a little harder. This one comes from the wise mind of Joey Cavalieri. He wrote his own piece on writer's block; it's well worth tracking down (you can find it in WRITE NOW #3 from TwoMorrows publishing). If you're stuck in the middle of a piece, it's because something doesn't work. Find that something, fix it, and you'll be on your way again. Hint: think in terms of craft, and think in terms of specifics. Dialogue off? Point of view a mess? Story structure seriously flawed?
That last one is highly likely, so ask yourself: where does the story break down? Oddly enough, there's a trick I've learned from my years of working with computers that comes in handy here. Whenever I can't find a problem, be it a code or systems problem, the issue is almost always about ten lines before where the program/script breaks (or the ten-line equivalent in systems debugging terms -- not quite the same thing, but I'll spare you the details). Moral of the story: quit looking where you've been looking. The problem isn't there, or you would have found it already.
2. Look to your writer's notebooks. You know that notebook that you carry around everywhere? The one where you jot down snatches of dialogue, character descriptions, impure thoughts about that hottie on the subway and, you know, story ideas? Give that a flip-through. Better yet, give the past several notebooks a flip-through. I bet you'll find some useful material. Bet.
Because, you know, that's what it's for. Heh.
3. Do something. Do anything. Else. Take it from me, your critical mind needs to get off the case right now. So give it something else to do. Like the dishes. Or a game of Frisbee. Or, that classic writer's cure-all, a walk. Trance out and let your better half noodle unencumbered for a while. It's a classic suggestion, because it works like magic.
Anything to get that left brain to shut up, I'll tell ya…
4. Write something. Write anything. Else. There comes a point where exactly what you put on paper plays a back seat to the act of putting words on paper, period. If a project truly confounds you, put it down for a while. But don't stop writing. Write something else.
Don't know what to write? Well, you can leave that to someone else, too. Behold:
5. Writing exercises. Have you noticed how cool it is to diss on writer's books? I guess I must be the biggest nerd around, because I love them. Yes, they can be an anesthetic if you let 'em, but that's your choice. My favorite type of writing books are the writing prompt books -- call it a hold-over from the days when I blubbered insecurely on the inside about "not having any ideas". One of the ways I got over that was by just shrugging my shoulders and taking someone else's suggestions as to what to write about. Whaddayaknow -- the problem eventually went away.
My favorite books with exercises include Jack Heffron's THE WRITER'S IDEA BOOK and THE WRITER'S IDEA WORKSHOP (the former is a handbook for generating material; the latter, for shaping it), Bonni Goldberg's ROOM TO WRITE, and Brian Kiteley's THE 3 A. M. EPIPHANY.
(If you're too impatient or too broke for an Amazon.com order, there's always the Internet. Try The Imagination Prompt Generator, or Brian Eno's classic Oblique Strategies.)
6. Roll the bones. I couldn't write this article without mentioning my favorite block-buster of them all: the lowly Tarot deck. It's all symbol, all archetype, all things designed to speak to your subconscious. It's got people, places, things, animals, vegetables, minerals, and weapons. It's all story, by cracky.
So how do you use a Tarot deck for storytelling when you don't know a lick about the cards? First of all, you don't worry about it. Yep, that's right, don't worry about it. You don't need to know anything about the cards, that's the beauty of the whole deal. You can just work with the pictures, no sweat. Simply shuffle your cards, then deal a few. How about one for the beginning, middle, and end? Or ask for a solution to your problem and choose a card. Then look at the pictures, and take what you need.
(If you're really curious about card meanings, here's a great free reference.)
7. Make lists. Next time you're blocked, try making a list of something. Your favorite people, your favorite colors, places you'd like to visit, sexy words, exotic pets, every Halloween costume you've ever worn, every name you'd like to call your boss, whatever. Make the lists as fast as you can; don't stop writing. After you're getting into a rhythm there, switch to making lists about your story. You might come up with a solution without having to think very hard.
Another good use of list-making: pre-emptive lists of ideas for future stories. Make a list of your favorite quotes. Channel Bradbury and keep a list of titles. I'm a big dork for the Western occultism and mythology, so I keep lists of stuff that intrigues me there.
Make a list of every person you've ever kissed. That's a fun one.
8. Play the movie in your head. Have you heard those bits about Alan Moore closing the blinds and acting out the scenes in his stories? (I believe he mentions the technique in his excellent essay, WRITING FOR COMICS.) You may have snickered when you read that, but you know he's on to something. In truth, I'd have a hard time keeping a straight face. But really, isn't the method acting just a slightly more extreme case of letting the action unfold in your head?
If you're having a hard time figuring out how a scene goes, or what comes next, try to put yourself in the position of the characters. I mean, really get in there and pretend that you're them. How would they feel? How would they react? Your own emotional reactions won't lie to you. 90% of the time, your gut instincts during such an exercise will be right on. Forget the fact that you're stymied for a moment, and roll the tape, as it were.
It's classic advice, I know, but how often do you actually do it?
9. Get the to a library. Many of my blocks arise when I've run out of options. I just plain don't know enough. The cure? More research.
I hear a lot about research from writers on the rise. Many of them are afraid of it. "How much is too much? I don't want to procrastinate," they say. That's a problem, sure, but the solution there is honesty, mes amis. We know when we're doing "the dance of avoidance" and when we really need to figure out what the heck we're on about in a story.
The more you know, the more choices you have. The road to un-blocked is choice, is it not?
10. Change one thing. Attack your problem scene or story by making one "small" change. Your lead dude is 20? Make him 40. He's staring down a rabid hippo on the streets of Los Angeles? Well, what if you swap said hippo for giant spiders? Give him a scimitar instead of… oh, hell, I don't know from firearms, you get the idea. Try to write from that slightly different angle.
You don't have to take this seriously. In fact, I heartily recommend not taking much of anything seriously when it comes to writer's block. You just don't need to psyche yourself out like that.
11. Read something that you feel is a complete piece of shit. Admittedly, this one might be a tad juvenile. But you know what? It works. Reading a published work that leaves me wondering just how it ever escaped from the author's subconscious holding pen will light a fire under my hiney like nothing else I know. I think it comes from a certain perspective gained. I call it the "if they can do it, so can I" perspective. Writing is hard, but it's not rocket science -- behold, proof!
Okay, so I'm being a snidge facetious, but only a snidge.
Important point on this one: the choice of block-busting material should come from you. Who cares what other people think; in fact, who cares whether the piece of writing in question is really all that bad or not. What's important here is the emotional reaction. We've all got those books in our collections that push our buttons. You might as well use them to your advantage.
12. Analyze a story.
13. Start over. Sometimes, a story idea (or execution) is so fundamentally flawed that it's just not going to work, no matter how many times you wave your magic wand or pull it out of the hat. There's no shame in cutting your losses. Try, try again -- on another day.
Elizabeth Genco sold out of her books at SPX and now nervously awaits reviews. Read more up on her latest comics project, WEIRD SISTER, at Streetfables.
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