Hey Everybody!
If you are stuck on your ms. this is something to try: free
write. Just start typing, throw the words down... they can be anything,
everything, something stuck in your head or song lyrics, just don't
stop. Don't guide them, just "blab"...onto the page, and let it go! (Yes, they totally stole my line. ;-) )
It can get you past the scared stiff feeling, adn once you loosen up
your fingers you can then step back and assess what you're doing wrong
in your ms.
Mostly, if it freezes on you then you're trying to do something you shouldn't, plot wise, or else
you don't know how things work. So get out the crayons and make a
calendar, timeline, put in the main scenes you KNOW will happen. Then
ask ?s of stuff, play around. Have fun!
'Cause if you don't have fun with it, your readers won't enjoy it
either. Think of six different things that could "chain" out from the
scene you know, and then come up with a seventh. Which feels more "true"
to character? Which feels most FUN?!
2 comments:
Excellent advice! Thank you! Sometimes I am a perfectionist in my first drafts and don't want to move forward and develop something (even if I just think it through instead of write it) unless I know it's the perfect next step. Looking back, I tried a bit of this "chaining" technique on some things in Suit and Suitability, and it really helped. Right now I'm stuck on a different ms. in the planning stages, so I bet doing what you suggest will help with that, too.
yes, sometimes getting stuck can seem like the end of the world! But often a little bit of exploring can make a big difference in opening up horizons and letting new insight shine down!!! :-)
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