Gency Brown

“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard, and you put one word after another until it’s done. It is that easy, and that hard.” —Neil Gaiman

Ever come to a point in your writing that you feel stuck? The words aren’t flowing onto the page as they usually do. You get frustrated. You question why you put yourself through it all.

It happens to all writers. The way past it? Keep writing. It may seem like drivel at the time, but that’s okay. Just get it on the page. You can edit later. Nora Ephron said, “You can’t edit a blank page.”

Maybe you need to step away from your project and write a short story or some poetry. Write a few blogs ahead and have them ready to post. Write a letter to a friend. Write, and write some more. It’s the exercise of writing that may spur your creativity.

Here’s some things that help me.

1. Go somewhere new. A coffee shop, your patio, a library, or restaurant. Sometimes new surroundings free you.
2.  Read a few chapters from a favorite author before you sit down to write. Stephen King claims, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time-- or the tools-- to write.”
3. Do some research into the location or time frame of your project.
4. Share some of what you’ve written with a trusted friend. Talking about the manuscript may spark a new scene or chapter.

You can read books, watch videos, attend classes, all on the subject of writer’s block. The bottom line is always that you simply must write. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice. How do you become a better writer? Write. Don’t stop.

It sounds simple, and I don’t mean to underplay its difficulty or the stress it can cause. I only want to give you some encouragement and tips to work with. If you have ideas to share, go to my website www.gencybrown.com or Facebook at Gency Brown Author and we’ll get a discussion going. See you here next time at The Little Brown Cabin.