Part 2
About writers block and how to kick its *ss (again)
You’ve prepared by following the steps in Part 1 of this post, and it’s time to start writing. There are many ways to begin, depending on where you are in the process.
Let’s say you’re really struggling to move forward with your manuscript because something in the plot isn’t working. You’re frustrated, and you can’t get a single word down on paper (or the screen). You’re thinking, “Where the hell does the story go from here? I knew it, this isn’t working!”
Define a Clear Problem Statement!
What’s the real reason you’re not moving forward with your writing? Talk to yourself, try to figure out what’s wrong. What would you be writing about if you didn’t have writer’s block? Is there a gap in your story or perhaps a logical flaw? Maybe there’s a character you just can’t figure out?
“Why are you struggling to get started?”
“I’m not motivated.”
“Why aren’t you motivated?”
“Because I feel like this isn’t going well.”
“Why isn’t it going well?”
“…because the old baker and his axe aren’t believable.”
“Why isn’t it believable?”
“…I don’t know, it just isn’t…”
“But what if you… or maybe… imagine if he didn’t have an axe, but a…”
Eventually, you might land on a problem statement like:
“I’m struggling to move forward because I feel the Baker isn’t acting the way he should, especially not towards his grandchildren. He would never [insert word here] them, would he? What’s his motivation?”
Now you have a question you can answer, and something to write about. You can define several problem statements to explore if you’re unsure what the actual problem is.
Brainwriting
“I don’t stop, and I don’t slow down unless I absolutely have to. If I don’t write every day, the characters begin to stale off in my mind — they begin to seem like characters instead of real people. The tale’s narrative cutting edge starts to rust.” – Stephen King
Brainwriting is an established method used in various settings, from creative workshops with large groups and companies to personal creative projects. It’s based on the principle of “divergent and convergent thinking”, simplified as “quantity before quality”, and individual work.
Brainwriting, or “individual brainstorming,” is a way to quickly generate ideas by writing them down on paper (or online) instead of announcing them in traditional group brainstorming sessions.
Breaking the Curse Lies in Preparation
Brainwriting Session 1
You’ve already defined your problem or task, and your brain is working on it, even if you don’t realise it.
Let’s say you’ve scheduled an hour to write from 8:00 p.m., but now you’re sitting there with no desire to write. Your brain feels empty, and your inspiration vanished yesterday. There’s a new season of Stranger Things on Netflix… What do you do? No, you don’t go down to watch TV. You pull yourself together!
In this phase, it’s forbidden to think, “No, that’ll never work,” or “No, hell no, if I go down that path with the story, it’ll be so much extra work. I’ll have to rewrite everything…” In this phase, you’re not supposed to rationalise; you’re just supposed to explore and write down everything that comes to mind. You taste a bit of every direction, even the bad ones. Often, it’s helpful to know what doesn’t work too… That way, you won’t be left wondering, “What if I had just…?” or “I wonder what would have happened if I had…?”
25 minutes
Start by writing continuously for 25 minutes, no matter how bad it is. If you can’t come up with anything relevant to the problem, write that. You’re not allowed to stop writing for those 25 minutes.
“Well, here I am, empty-headed and unmotivated… Wonder what happens in the new season of [insert TV-show]. That guy’s a real mess… okay, forget it. I was supposed to write about the Baker. The old demented baker who [insert word] his grandchildren. It doesn’t really make sense how he did it because he could tell the difference between an axe and coffee. – Maybe he lost his glasses? – Yeah, or maybe he didn’t know he was [insert word] them? – Didn’t know? Why not? – Well, maybe someone tricked him? – Yeah, kind of like that guy in that show…”
Write your internal dialogue, write down everything you’re thinking. The most important thing is not to stop writing to think or reflect. Just keep going. Do not fix spelling and grammar.
Take a Break. Take a 10-minute break and do something entirely different.
Another 25 minutes
For the next 25 minutes, continue writing exactly as you did before the break. You’ll notice that what you write the second time around is more focused, and that you’ve started finding possible solutions or directions for your challenge.
Tip! Writing poorly is still writing!
Take a Longer Break. This time, take a break until the next time you’ve scheduled to write. It’s important to have a longer pause so you can process the problem consciously and/or unconsciously.
Brainwriting Session 2
25 minutes
Now, go through your scribbles from the first session and highlight anything that could be a potential clue to a solution (don’t be too critical; look for possibilities/exploration). Make a list of ideas under your problem statement. You’ll find that there are several possible paths to follow, even if you didn’t feel that way earlier.
30 minutes
Write for 30 minutes. This time, do brainwriting based on the list you’ve created. Explore each idea one by one and see where they take you. Again, it’s essential that you keep writing the whole time. If nothing good comes to mind, write something bad. If you hit a wall, move on to the next point on the list and keep writing.
“No, this idea isn’t going anywhere. Maybe I should try the next one, the one about…”
Brainwriting Session 3
What did you come up with? The brainwriting phase is now over, and after a break, you revisit your notes from Session 2. You’ll undoubtedly find plenty of information you can reorganise and continue writing from. Guaranteed! You’ve forced yourself through your writer’s block. It might not have been fun, but you’ve moved forward. The inspiration and confidence return, and you realise, “hey, that idea wasn’t so bad after all, there’s actually…”
Final Thoughts on Brainwriting
I return to this method regularly in my creative projects, whether it’s writing a book, developing a communication concept, creating a visual profile, art, design, a blog, or anything else. And it works every time; it disarms the fear of not writing anything good. Forget about that! The good stuff will come.
That’s why I can say, hand on heart, that I can always write and create if I want to. If I push through the barriers. Sometimes I write poorly, and that’s okay. It’s far better than losing hope and not writing at all. You have to force your creation forward. If you only write when you feel like it (and mostly blame writer’s block), you’ll become one of those people who never did it. You’ll regret that.
Bonus Tip: Idea Bank
I use an app called Any.do, where I jot down everything that comes to mind, no matter where I am. If someone says something funny, I write it down. If I think of a possible scenario for one of my characters or see something relevant, it goes into the idea bank. Writing down ideas leaves run for other ideas, because you can let them go, and when your head is empty, you pull out your idea list, browse through it, and “brainwrite” around a topic.
Brainwriting and an idea bank are kryptonite against writer’s block.
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