There’s no such thing as sketcher’s block because you can just doodle, or dancer’s block because you just improvise. If you find yourself stuck, just find a different choice, a different entry point for what you want to write about.
The problem for a lot of writers is that they have a single, tried-and-true entry point into their writing. And when that’s not working, they have no other way to get to a place where they feel like making work. When I’m in that space, I make up exercises for myself, though “exercises” isn’t really the right word especially with its connotations of doing some type of writing workout, which no one wants to do. What they really are is games. And there are an infinite number of entry points once you turn writing into a game.
Writing has so many elements that are ripe for entertainment, each of which can evolve into numerous variations. When I’m stuck on something, I usually find an element that’s adjacent to what I’m working on, which often leads me to what I want to write about, though sometimes in other directions, and that’s okay too. Other times I end up just working on the game for the day and it ends there, but I’ve learned something about writing along the way.
Just to give a concrete example: As I’m writing this, I’m reaching the end of a major section in a novel draft and am having trouble conceptualizing what the ending is going to be, so I think to myself, let’s make up an ending game. But just trying to write different endings feels daunting, so what I do is focus on a single element that removes the high stakes of trying to come up with an ending and just turns it into a low-pressure, fun activity. For instance, I can say, “Write three ending paragraphs where the main character is in different places” or “Have the character speaking to three different people in three different endings for the last scene.”
But the one I’m feeling today is even more basic than characters or places. I’ve decided that I’m going to write different sentence endings for my novel section that finishes with three different punctuation marks: a period ending, an exclamation point ending, a question mark ending, a quotation mark ending, and an ellipsis ending. So just quickly spitballing, my possible ending sentences go like this:
“Welcome to Revision.”
I nod, and...
Where am I?
I seem to have fallen into a hole.
It’s Digby!
Now, you don’t have any context for any of these endings, but one thing I can tell you is that having written them, they’ve already sparked a ton of ideas about the possible directions my draft can take to get to the section conclusion. Before, I had the feeling of, “How am I going to finish this?” while now, my feeling is something like, “I wonder which ending I’m going to end up with.” Instead of dealing with all the outside pressures of, “Is someone going to want to read this novel?” and “Am I a bad writer?,” this type of game allows me to focus on the internal workings of the writing itself. I also love that even I don’t consciously know where the story will lead, which motivates me to get to the end so I can find out.
If I end up not having concrete ideas after finishing my game, I try again, or I make up a different game. And even if I don’t end up working on the manuscript itself for that particular writing session, I’ve definitely learned more about the ideas that are motivating the manuscript, so it’s a lot more likely for me to know what to write about the next time I work on my book.
So my prompt for you this month, especially if you’re feeling stuck, is to make up a writing game, and hopefully be convinced that writer’s block is just a myth.