Have you ever felt drawn to something like a fly to a flame and then once you get the thing you’re craving, you are just frozen?
You’re in the right place! I’ve been writing since I could hold a pencil. I created story after story, and in 2020, while backing up everything on my old laptop, I ran a metadata search out of curiosity. (Thanks to my undergrad course, Crime in Technology!) When I ran that metadata search, I discovered I had created over 100,000 documents. Seriously—99% of what I used that laptop for was writing. I often tell people I’ve written over 100,000 stories, and at this point, I’m pretty sure I’ve hit that number.
Work in Progress (WIP)
Being the writer I am, I have lots of ideas floating around in my head. I am currently working on 3 stories/attempts at a novel. Much like any kind of ‘artist’ I get stuck with what to do next. Whether it’s creating a plot point, putting paint on canvas, or choreographing the next Broadway hit, at one point the creator will have a moment of “OMG what happens next?”
So what does happen next?
- You take a step back (or away)
- Brainstorm
- Try again
You take a step back (or away):
I have always found taking a moment to not be so close up helps me immensely. When you’re too close, you can’t see the bigger picture. Kind of like if you were to zoom all the way in on your phone camera and try to figure out what you’re looking at. I will doom scroll on TikTok, scroll through Pinterest trying to get that spark back, or even run my WIP past my bestie.
Brainstorm:
How do you want to proceed through this block? I will scroll through Pinterest looking at quotes, writing prompts, character art, travel photos, anything that will spark something inside me.
Try again:
My best friend when writing is the delete button, or even command + A + delete. It’s also my kryptonite.