Writer’s Block…and what to do about it

I’ve been having problems with one specific chapter that I’ve known that I needed to write for quite some time.  So, yesterday I spent a couple of hours while my son napped going over my notes.  I had to make some changes and rewrite a few things, but I was still stuck on this one chapter.  I decided to move away from it and work on something else for awhile, which led to me perusing some of my books on writing.  One of the books I skimmed through yesterday was Novel Shortcuts by Laura Whitcomb.  One of the exercises in that book is called shortcut to a scene.

I’ve used this tool before and it has worked well for me and I must say it worked well for me once again.  I have about a third of the chapter written now and the rest of it planned out.

My point is try different things, step away from the rut that you are in.  I spent a large chunk of my writing time yesterday working on different sections, moving things around, rewriting bits, and doing general editing before I was finally able to move forward and write the chapter I’ve been trying to write for several months now.

And, if all else fails, step away from the computer. Go read or go for a walk or something else to clear your mind, but remember to come back to your project and to not give up.