The other day, I visited The Impractical Parenting Almanac and read a nice post about how to overcome writer’s block. The author had a bunch of great suggestions, and I commented on the post to let people know another way that could be helpful. Here is my comment:
When I get writer’s block, I will slip into first person and write about the fact that I have writer’s block and the things I’m struggling with in the story. Then I will start in on, “well, I could go this way with it, but then I will have such-and-such problem, etc.” It usually works itself out in the end. The act of writing is what keeps me moving forward. Even if I end up deleting all of it, I still usually get a good idea or two from it. It’s like thinking on paper, and then I can go back and decide what I liked and what I didn’t, without having to worry about remembering what I was thinking about.
Using the above method, I am usually able to knock down about 1000 words in one hour. I just keep plugging along. Even if I only keep half of what I wrote or solve only one major problem, I figure I’ve accomplished a lot more than if I just sit and think and stare at the blank page. Quick question? How many of you all are writers yourselves? And do you write mostly fiction or non-fiction?
Full Circle Homeschooling 