You've done it: you've thought of an idea that you know will someday be a bestseller. You've sat down and written character outlines, devised a plot and written your first chapter. You sit down the next day, hands on the keyboard, and stare at the screen. All of a sudden it's like your brain is empty. There is nothing to write. You've hit this thing called writer's block.
You put the book on hold and wait a week, but when you come back to the keyboard, there still isn't anything there. I know that you want to give up, but restrain yourself. Remember what you felt like when the idea first came to you--how you dreamed of lines of fans all coming to you just for a signature--of fancy editors going over your manuscript. Remember the hope you had, and keep going. Here are some tips to break writer's block.
1.) Don't give up.
Writer's block happens to everyone. Don't start thinking bad about yourself and your writing just because you are having a hard time thinking of the next paragraph. Even the elite of the writing world get writer's block. Check out these 13 writers that talk about it here. See? You aren't alone--in fact, you are just like the most famous of writers in a sense. Just keep your head up.
2.) Get to know your characters.
If you are stuck on a scene and don't know what your character's next move is, then you might not know him well enough. This might sound weird, but if you are a true writer you will know what I mean. Yes, characters may just be words on a page, but they have to mean more than that to you. They have to think, speak and breathe for themselves. Learn more about them and maybe you will know what they would do next. Make a new document on your computer and give your character some background history: Where did they come from? Who are their relatives? What is their favorite food? Seriously. Do it now.
3.) Just write.
This sounds simple and that's because it is. If you are having a hard time finding the right words to say, then just write some words, even if you don't think that they are the right ones. Write a whole page of just randomness. Example:
On Sundays I like to bring my dog to the park, it is a very good park because my dog likes it. My dog likes to run around in the park and chase other dogs. Sometimes he makes new friends.
I know. It's awful. But that's the point. Just write randomness for the sake of writing--for all you know, maybe writing this randomness will bring you to know that your next character's move is to buy a dog. Maybe that's your next plot point. You won't know unless you write it, so try it.
4.) Start fresh.
If you are having a hard time with a certain part of your story, move on! No one ever said that you have to write starting from sentence a, directly to z. Why not take a pit stop at l on the way there? Actually, r is looking pretty lonely--give him a visit. Break it up and then tie it together. That's what a second draft is for.
5.) Get someone else's opinion.
I know that this might sound scary, especially since you probably haven't done much editing after chapter one, but just try it. Have someone you trust read that first chapter, and then ask their whole opinion on it. Ask them to describe your characters. Maybe they will unearth something that you didn't even know was there. Make sure that this person you are trusting with your first chapter is someone that likes to describe things, though, because you are going to want more than just Marla has brown hair. Find a creative person and assign them to chapter one.
I'll stop here because I like uneven numbers, and because if I don't stop now you'll be procrastinating even longer with that story. Just remember, write. If it's not there, you can't do anything with it.
-Elysia Regina
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