Welcome to the fourth installment in the weekly Bamboo Shoots: The Care and Feeding of Pandas. This week, my Pandas talk about one of the biggest obstacles all writers face: the empty page. I asked them to share with you how they deal with writer's block.
As you'll discover, some power through, some change their environment, and some change the project they're working on. I think the big takeaway from this is to not give up. If one strategy doesn't work, try another. Keep trying to reconnect with the muse inside of you and eventually, you'll find your way back to a page filled with words that propel your story forward.
Cheri Champagne, Pandamoon Author of The Mason Siblings Series and The Seductive Spies Series
I have a few different methods to combat writer’s block, but what I do depends on my mood, and what the problem is in the scene that I’m writing. I find that most of my episodes of writer’s block come from my writing a scene that is moving too slowly. I quite enjoy books with some action in them, and I’ve discovered that if I write some action into my scene, I can get myself out of the slump. Unfortunately, books cannot be all action with no substance, so if I find myself in an episode of writer’s block but the scene must move forward without a sword fight or duel, then I merely have to force myself through it. I tell myself that I can fix it later, and I always do. Other times, however, I’ll try watching some Regency-era movies, like the ones based off of Jane Austen’s novels: Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility. Listening to their dialogue and seeing their costumes and the beautiful scenery often inspire my writing.
Elgon Williams, Pandamoon Author of Fried Windows (In a Light White Sauce), the Becoming Thuperman Trilogy, and The Wolfcat Chronicles
I suppose I suffer from writer’s block like everyone else, though I’ve never been unable to write at least something on a daily basis. Even if it is off topic, I think a writer needs to write everyday. There is usually a reason for the apparent block. It may be some unresolved issue with the way you are advancing a story or a character development issue. Occasionally there is another story that needs to be told before you can finish the story you believed you were working on.
When I first composed the foundation for The Wolfcat Chronicles I had no idea it would turn into something that I’d work on periodically over the next six or so years before reaching a point of completion in the overall story arc. The first draft was 413 pages, written in a creative spurt that lasted for 13 weeks. Upon completion of that part, as I began to revise the story, I saw a lot of missing elements, things I needed to know more about, new characters I needed to introduce, new story lines to be included as sub plots. That original volume evolved into five books that comprise the heart of the story. But there was some unfinished business at the conclusion that led me to work on another book, and again, as that story grew in revision, it became clear there were at least another three books. Yet, as I reached the mid part of the second additional book, it became necessary to discover background on two of the main characters, Ela’na and Rotor, and what happened in their past, including how they met a third character of importance, Mang, and that became the first two books of the series. All throughout the experience of creating ten books there were periods of what I can only refer to as downtime. I wasn’t actively adding to the overriding story arc but, instead, filling in the details. A lot of that material was solely for my benefit and never made it into the final manuscripts. Nevertheless, it was essential in the writing process and overcoming the lulls in creativity.
Rachel Sharp, Pandamoon author of the Phaethon Series
Writer’s block usually means I have too many other things taking up space in my head. Because of physical limitations, I only have so much energy to go around, and I usually can’t do the laundry & the dishes & a blog post & social media & the rest of my real life all in one day. If those things get overwhelming, any attempt to sit down and write results in flopping over onto the bed and falling asleep.
In my experience, 99% of writing advice is somewhere between mysticism and complete junk. “Write every day” can lead to feeling like the book is dead if you skip a weekend. “Clear your life of distractions” is, let’s face it, not practical. Some people work on a different project when they feel stuck, but I personally have a hard time balancing more than two worlds in my head at the same time. (The real one and the book one are enough.)
How do I fix writer’s block? I go outside. I clean my desk. I inject a borderline nonsensical sentence at the end of the current work and go from there. (“And then, the cow exploded.”) These things work for me. Your mileage may vary.
Penni Jones, Pandamoon Author of On the Bricks and Kricket
I thought I had writer’s block for about ten years, but it turned out to be fear of failure. Since I identified the root of that massive block, it hasn’t been much of a problem (I’m currently knocking on every piece of wood in the house).
I have felt a little blocked in recent months, particularly if I watch or read the news too much. But that’s not so much writer’s block as life block. I’m making a concentrated effort to shield myself from the news more often. Honestly I’ve always been a little too sensitive to spend a lot of time with the news. And currently all of that is magnified.
The best piece of advice I’ve had regarding block is to just write something. Maybe it won’t be part of your current project. It might not even be something you’ll use. But the act of writing can grease the gears. So when I do have writer’s block I usually move to a different project. Sometimes it’s something I’ve been working on for a while on and off, sometimes it’s a new short story or blog post. Because of this strategy I have about four manuscripts in the works right now. So there’s a good chance I’ll finish them all around the same time. It’s just that I won’t finish any of them for a while if I don’t focus my efforts. I guess my muse has ADD.
I hope you've enjoyed these glimpses into some of our Pandas. Be sure to come back every Wednesday for another interesting question and answer post.