Look Who it Was Random video

Avoiding writer's block and getting unstuck

511 views · Published 10 November 2018 · 24:35 · Indexed 9 October 2026

Channel: CreativIndie · 2018 · Howto & Style

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SUMMARY: the creative process is both analytical and intuitive. You must sit down and write forward, because you won't find answers until you arrive at the problem. It's kind of impossible to outline entirely, because when you get to the thing you want to happen, you have to *make* it happen - create realistic events that motivate your characters toward their desired ends. Today I wanted to reach the "point of no return" (because, at day 7, I should be 25% of the way done with a one-month novel - at 9pm, after a Mexican birthday dinner (Yes, in Thailand) I sketched out the next scene: after the inciting incident, the protagonist needs to figure out what to do in response - usually a lot of learning to uncover the next piece of the puzzle. Then, after they decide what to do, they must be thwarted (they are refused/refuse the call)... until they are either forced onto the path, usually by the antagonist's forces.

So I had Kai (my character) figure out the next step, get an impossible task... and I didn't know what happened next. I needed her to do something impossible. I walked home, then went out to a 24hour coffee shop for lemon tea. And to be honest I didn't actually write out the whole scenes I needed, but I DID figure out what they were: what kind of happens, the three step action sequence, the triumphant chapter end where she is victorious. Now that I know what happens, I don't even have to write or edit it immediately - I'll push forward and start the next chapter. 

Revision and editing, fleshing out scene details, that can happen later. The hard part is getting through the first draft and repeating the process of getting stuck, feeling frustrated, and sitting with the problem until your brain unravels the puzzle. It is magical and very satisfying: but that doesn't mean writing is always fun all the time (people who think that quit when it gets hard). Writing it hard and frustrating, and it can be so much easier if you start with a plan (analytical side), but the beautiful fine details, filling in the cracks, the solutions you came up with, those are the most rewarding.

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