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People often ask what I do when I have writer's block. I just had a terrible spell (coinciding w/the pandemic, surprise surprise) where I felt very uninspired & couldn't do anything with the one (1) idea I had. Here's what I did to get past it, in order of least to most helpful:
10) Panicked (not helpful)
9) Gave myself permission for a break (helpful but still somewhat anxiety-producing)
8) Took long walks while thinking through possible plot directions (less fun than usual b/c mask)
7) Read widely, mostly outside my genre (FUN)
9) Gave myself permission for a break (helpful but still somewhat anxiety-producing)
8) Took long walks while thinking through possible plot directions (less fun than usual b/c mask)
7) Read widely, mostly outside my genre (FUN)
6) Rewatched TV favorites & took notes on why they worked for me (side observation: the pilot of Veronica Mars remains a masterpiece)
5) Tried writing opening chapters for my one (1) idea. They went nowhere, which was a hint the idea wouldn't spark into a full book
5) Tried writing opening chapters for my one (1) idea. They went nowhere, which was a hint the idea wouldn't spark into a full book
4) Wrote fluff starring my characters from previous books. Zero plot, just to remind me that writing is fun
3) Brainstormed with my agent about my one (1) idea, during which it dissolved like a sandcastle hit by a giant wave, and I mourned its loss until ...
3) Brainstormed with my agent about my one (1) idea, during which it dissolved like a sandcastle hit by a giant wave, and I mourned its loss until ...
2) BREAKTHROUGH! That dead idea had kept me from seeing a Much Better Idea (though it did contain the sliver of a Future Idea I've put in reserve)
1) Finally sat down and wrote usable words
A lot of this felt pointless at times, but it did end up leading somewhere.
1) Finally sat down and wrote usable words
A lot of this felt pointless at times, but it did end up leading somewhere.
Talking to my agent was probably the #1 best thing I did (but that didn't work to end a tweet narrative 
) For the aspiring writers out there, I recommend you bounce ideas off CPs, friends, family, whoever you trust. Brainstorming helps crystallize what's working & what isn't.
) For the aspiring writers out there, I recommend you bounce ideas off CPs, friends, family, whoever you trust. Brainstorming helps crystallize what's working & what isn't.
Also, YMMV on this, but I don't like to let the page stay blank for too long. That gets intimidating, so writing chapters that went nowhere, or stuff that was just for fun, was better than writing nothing.
I hope that's helpful!
I hope that's helpful!
Oh! I forgot. During non-pandemic times, I like to go to museums because looking at art sometimes inspires my own creativity. Since I couldn't do that in person, I took some of virtual tours. This was my favorite: https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/thirteen-works-explore-the-gardner-s-stolen-art/gAIyZKoNat4oLA
