10 tips to get unstuck in your writing
Happy Halloween!
It’s the time for all things that chill us right down to the bone and for me, there’s nothing scarier than staring at a blank page! My heart is thudding, my body is frozen with debilitating fear, and the fight or flight instinct takes over.
While it’s easy to want to just take flight and come back later when my creative muse graces me with her presence, it’s worth it to try and fight off the feelings of dread as the cursor blinks, forever stuck in its place.
If you’re feeling like you’re stuck in a rut with your writing and scared you’ll never get another good sentence into your draft, have no fear! One of these 10 writing tips can help you get back on track and creating terrifyingly good prose.
What to do when you’re stuck as a writer
1. Switch your POV
Writing your book in third-person? Switch it to first-person and pick one of your characters to tell the story. Writing in first-person? Step out of your main character and show the story without being in someone’s head.
Write a completed scene from someone else’s perspective as you already know what happens but the exercise will flex your creative muscles and make you see things you might not have before.
2. Write only dialogue
Stop getting stuck with descriptions and setting and only write the conversation between the characters. Skip the stuff that can slow you down or derail you from the conversation happening on the page.
3. Introduce someone new
Bring a new character to life and drop them in your world. Like writing from a different POV, a new perspective and/or character can bring new conflict to a story or help you solve a plot hole.
4. Write a flashback
Time travel and go back into the past to learn more about your characters. Maybe they had a terrible breakup in the past and that’s why they keep people at arm’s length now, write that scene. See the vulnerable side of your character and see how they became the version you’re working with.
5. Jump on the bullet train
If you’re a panster, just start writing out what you think will happen next in a bulleted list. I know that goes agains the pansting method but you’re not married to this list! It’s just a way to brainstorm ideas of where the story could go and discover what could happen.
6. Talk it out
A similar exercise to creating a bullet-point list is to talk it out. Pretend you’re explaining your story to a friend or family member, the same way you might explain a movie they haven’t seen. Tell them about the characters’ motivations, their goals, the conflict they face, and whether they get their happy ending or not. You might even think of questions they’d ask about the characters, setting, or plot that could help you get out of your rut.
7. Act it out
Put on some music you love or a song you would love to have in a film or TV adaptation of your story and act out a scene you’re struggling with. Literally put yourself in the story and act as a character to see what naturally happens next.
8. Write something different
When I’m feeling stuck in a current project and am spinning my wheels I’ll start writing something different or take a look at a different Work-in-Progress (WIP). I’ll write a few scenes in that WIP to feel like I’m at least getting some writing done before pivoting back to my other project. It’s always easier to keep up your momentum than creating it and it’s okay to create it with a different story.
9. Set a timer
Sometimes the hardest thing is just getting started, whether it’s a new story or even just getting started with a writing session. One thing that I’ll do is set a timer for 30 minutes, put my phone in another room, close out of my inbox and YouTube, and just write.
It does not matter if I’m writing a scene that will make the final cut. It does not matter if my writing is good. It does not matter if I’m writing my book in order. It’s just the act of getting words on the page and getting in the groove.
10. Write out your fears
What scares you? Write about it! Act like your blank document is your diary and just write what’s going on in your mind. Are you worried people won’t like the story? Are you worried it’ll be criticized? Are you worried you’ll pour your heart into this project and have trouble getting it published?
These fears are completely normal! There’s nothing wrong with feeling this way. But it’s important to not let these fears control you or your writing. Acknowledge these fears.
I’m going to quote a great AWOLNATION song here, “Never let your fear decide your fate.”
Have you ever used any of these tips to get unstuck in your writing, or do you have a different tip that kickstarts your writing? Tell me your best trick of the trade in the comments below!
