NANO Tips- What to do if you're STUCK

 

One of the coolest things about being published is all the author, writer and reader friends I've met on the interwebs. They are a great source of inspiration and a helpful sounding board when I have a line or a concept I am not sure works.
I decided rather than tell you my ideas for when you hit a wall with your writing (which during NANO cannot happen if you want to keep your word-count up) I would share their ideas for what they do when they get "stuck".

Hope these HELP! Happy Nano-ing!

Cheryl M. ‏@Writezalot I skip to a new scene and leave a blank spot. Fill it in later. 

Ara Trask ‏@AraTrask I make a to-do list of plot holes I need to fill in and ask myself questions in my list like "Why does he do this?"

Kathryn Barrett ‏@KathrynSBarrett Research. I usually find inspiration from some tidbit of research, like an idea for a scene setting, etc.

emily bedwell ‏@emilyrbedwell take a walk, pet my pup, write something else... 

Kathleen S. Allen ‏@kathleea I do stream of consciousness writing with the inner editor shoved into a corner, and gagged.

Jamie Manning ‏@byJamieManning I'll usually watch some mindless TV to help my mind relax from the stress of being stuck--works every time! :) 

Kitty Petro ‏@KittyPetro I call a friend and ask for suggestions. One of the perks of haivng a friend who is getting a masters degree in literature.

Sarah McCanless ‏@SarahMcCanless It's a little silly, but I have a deck of "angel oracle cards" lying around & sometimes I pick one. Or a tarot card, etc.

Vanessa Leigh ‏@VanessaELeigh drink lots of caffeine, or drink wine, it gives you the buzz to keep hitting the keyboard hard

Cindi Madsen ‏@CindiMadsen drink Mtn Dew. I'm telling you, it works!! :) 

   

Rachel Carter ‏@RachelCarterYA Take a shower! I always get my best ideas in the shower, which means I'm *really* clean while working on a draft.

Lauren M. Barrett ‏@LahBarrett Switching medium can help. Stared at a word doc for hours yesterday. Switched to paper, and the words flowed again. 

Lydia ‏@5fourfivemeals I go back and read the first chapter again out loud. Usually this helps me come up with questions I want to answer later on. 

Valia Lind ‏@ValiaLind Take a dance break? Seriously, get your body and mind pumping and then sit down & look at it a new! :-) 

Rebecca Enzor ‏@RebeccaEnzor I go back to the last place I knew it was working and start in a different direction :)

Madison Louise ‏@AuthorMadison Listen to music that makes my brain work, relax, and just wait for my characters to speak to me. :)

Heather Heinzer ‏@bubbamacktales I get up and walk away from the computer for 5 minutes. Many times that will give me new perspective. But ONLY 5 minutes.

Rachel Andrews I ask myself the question that's getting in the way like "why did character A lie to CharacterB?" And I give one reason, and second reason and a third reason. Usually the third one is a winner, because it causes your imagination to really stretch it -while keeping it plausible in whatever universe it's set it. 

 

Rachel Andrews Also, I tape over the backspace button, and the word count button. Otherwise I keep glancing at it....

 

Magda Knight I go with Raymond Chandler's advice every time. "A man walks into a room with a gun". Give your characters a real challenge, a dilemma you can't yet see a way out of. You're guaranteed to have the answer the next few chapters along!

 

AND IF ALL ELSE FAILS!

 

M Andrew Patterson Blow something up