It Begins With An Idea

After a long day of dreaming up ideas, running through scenarios, and going over conversations between characters in your head, you finally sit down and prepare to write. You turn on your computer, review your notes, pull up the document, and then–

Nothing.

All that preparation disappears. No matter how hard you try, those words won’t come out and shape the story you have to share. It’s what all writers fear and wrestle with, but how can you break through writer’s block?

Outline Your Scenes

When everything seems too overwhelming or like you don’t know where to start: outline. Jot down the ideas you have, the feelings you want to convey, and the plot points that need to be hit. It might look like a script or hastily written down notes, but creating the framework for your story is better than letting the page stay blank. First drafts are never perfect anyway.

For example, in my work, I struggled to write a scene where two characters argue (those scenes are always the hardest for me, but that’s another story). As I wrote, I needed to figure out what would be said to get from point A (the beginning of the conversation) to point B (the end result that triggers the important details being shared about the plot).

Rather than draft out the same lines over and over and stare at them until they no longer looked like words, I outlined the general idea. It looked like this in my notes: Adam confesses about the nightmares. He thought they might stop or lessen since he was far from the castle, but he was wrong.

It’s short and contains the necessary groundwork for building upon it later.

Reference Similar Works

If there’s a book that’s inspired you to write (we all have one!), there’s nothing against referencing specific scenes to help you find your footing (or wording, that is). Think of it like drawing–there’s nothing wrong with using references. It’s often encouraged because it helps create the framework for your to add your unique style.

For example, fight scenes are often difficult for many writers (including myself). There are a lot of things to consider, such as the movements, the sounds, the muscles, etc. Some authors describe fight scenes like a dance while others are more graphic in their depictions. Which one sparks your interest more? Review similar scenes by authors you admire–or from authors who have similar styles. Look at the language they use and how they use it. How can you apply this to your work?

This is a great way to practice and it can help you get over the hurdle of writer’s block!

Write What You Know

If you still can’t break through writer’s block, there’s another method that can work: skip it!

When writing, no one says you have to write in chronological order. Similar to outlining your ideas, you can simply skip around them. In one draft I was working on in class, I had a scene where the party of characters would be traveling through a dangerous pass. I wasn’t sure what threat they would face there yet, but I knew what happened after they reached their destination. How did I get there?

By writing something like this: The party is attacked in the mountain pass, but manages to make it through. They arrive at the village a little worse for wear, but alive.

After that, I wrote the scenes I was ready for in full detail. While this is similar to outlining our ideas, writing what you know lets you get to the good parts you are itching to write, avoiding the accursed writer’s block for the scenes you haven’t quite figured out yet.

Break Through the Block

At the end of the day, we all struggle with writer’s block at one point or another. The important thing is that we work through it. There are numerous ways to do this, but the most effective way overall is to not give up.

Find a way to get words out, be in a handful as an outline or a few sentences that lead to the next big idea. Writing a little is better than writing nothing at all.