Breaking
Through Writer’s Block
By
Dan Levinson
It can be
far too easy to let lack of inspiration take away our ability to put pen to
paper; to let it shatter the joy that comes from that wonderful dance of our
fingers upon the keyboard. Many times, we instead find ourselves staring out
the window, watching the rain; we glance at the clock, only to find we’ve
whiled away half the day browsing the internet, finding out who wore what on
which red carpet, and which no-longer-tween celebrity just broke up with her
boyfriend.
It can be a
challenge to refocus, to force ourselves to look at that oh-so-depressing empty
page. How do we find the strength to go on, to push forward?
First, let’s
address what is, in my experience, the chief cause of writer’s block: fear.
Writer’s
block is much akin to a schoolyard bully, that oppressive playground punk who
makes us shrink away from the things we want to do. Want to take a big writing
risk—the writer’s equivalent to swinging on the monkey bars? Too bad, because our
terror of being unable to live up to our own expectations—and the expectations
of readers—creeps in and paralyzes us. Am
I good enough to pull this off? Will people like it? Does it work in my story?
As these
questions twirl round and round in our heads, we once again find ourselves
thinking about anything but writing. The bully has made us back down again, and
all we’re left with is a blank sheet and a heaping helping of dissatisfaction.
So what to
do? The answer is: Just go for it.
Write
something. Write anything. Let it be bad. Don’t judge it. There’s no need to listen
to the criticism of your inner editor demon. Even if it’s awful, that’s the
beauty of writing: You can always go back and change it. For now, however, the
most important aspect of breaking through the block is getting the ball
rolling.
Now, here
are a few tips that have worked for me to make that happen . . .
#1. Get in the character’s head.
I don’t mean
in a general sense; I mean sink down into that exact moment where you’ve hit
the block. Ask yourself: What is my character thinking? What is he feeling?
What is he physically seeing? Doing? Forget about moving the story forward for
now. The important thing is to regain your momentum; anything extraneous you
can always remove later. Even if writing about your character doing the dishes
gets you back into the flow of writing, do it. Whatever it takes.
#2. Try writing longhand.
Sometimes
changing up our process can clear out the fog. Most writers these days use a
computer (or laptop, tablet, etc.), so it can be an interesting and liberating
experience to try it “old school.” There’s less pressure for everything to be
“perfect”; you know you’ll have to type it in later, so corrections can be put
off until then. Furthermore, having the opportunity to cross things out, make
notes in margins, get a little sloppy can make us feel more free to make
mistakes; on the computer screen said mistakes are summarily erased from
existence, and the page is restored to a state of unmarred perfection. That’s a
heavy burden.
Another
advantage of writing longhand is that we can force ourselves to be free of
distractions. Take a notebook and, if the weather’s nice, go to your favorite
park; or visit your local library, bookstore, or coffee shop. Leave the laptop
at home. Granted, in this day and age you’re likely to be carrying a
smartphone, but I find the temptation far less on a mobile device. If
necessary, turn off your wi-fi and data plan, just to give yourself an extra
barrier.
#3. Speed through transitions.
I’ve found
that blocks can arise from getting a character from point A to B. “John” needs
to get uptown, but first he needs to leave his apartment, walk to the subway,
wait for the train, and so on. Or we could simply write, “John left his
apartment, and caught a train uptown. A short time later, he emerged from the
station . . .” Voila! Done. It can always be expanded upon later, but often the
best thing to do is expedite and move things along.
#4. Get to the cool stuff.
A lot of
times we have particular moments we’re writing toward, but there just ends up
being so much in between where we currently are in the narrative, and where
we’re champing at the bit to get to. Instead of drawing things out, do away
with delays. Simply take the story there.
However, if there
are things you absolutely must address before moving things forward to that
section, figure out ways to punch them up. I find writer’s block can emerge
when I’m trying to deal with a section I find boring or uninspiring. A powerful
way to deal with this is to come up with unexpected, unplanned moments to
insert into these otherwise pedantic portions of the narrative that get us
amped up; ideally they should be rife with tension and conflict. You might end
up with something amazing you never anticipated.
#5. Don’t force it…Actually, do.
Just put a
sentence on the page. “The wallpaper was red.” “The sky was overcast.” “The
car’s tires squealed.” It doesn’t matter if it isn’t good; you can always
remove it later. The important thing here is to build momentum. And you can’t
build momentum if you don’t write something. Anything. Don’t judge it—for it’s
that judgy inner editor that keeps you afraid from putting something poor on
the page in the first place. Just press on, and you’ll be surprised at what
comes out.
Dan Levinson
Author of Fires of Man--Available June 17
Twitter: @ReadDanLevinson
Supposedly, the war between Calchis and Orion ended decades ago. But upon reporting to an isolated Orion army base for basic training, Private Stockton Finn learns the war still rages, only the weapons have changed—most disturbingly of all, Finn has been selected to become one of those weapons.
Across the border, young Calchan farm boy Aaron Waverly learns all too well just how determined his country is to win the war when he is abducted from his family's property by a sinister government operative known only as Agent. Trapped in dreary new surroundings, learning deadly skills he's never before imagined, Aaron struggles to reconcile his ephemeral faith with his harsh new reality.
As the two nations hurtle toward a resurgence of open hostilities, Finn and Aaron, along with their new friends and mentors, must rush to prepare themselves for the inevitable clash. All the while, a new archaeological find in the frozen tundra far to the north hints that the brewing conflict may only be the first of their worries...
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I feel a little sad. For the last three Fifa World Cups, I have happened to be teaching English in Europe, where World Cup excitement is crazy. I spent a few days in Berlin while they held the World Cup in Germany, and the flag-draped, face-painted, firecracker-lighting fans made for quite the spectacle. When Germany made a goal, you could hear people cheer all down the street. I don't really know much about soccer, and honestly I hardly follow sports at all, but I still rode the wave of excitement. This year I'm in America, and I'm not sure many people even know it's going on. Oh, to be in Europe. But I'm so thankful for the time I've spent there.
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