writers’ block tip

bettydays:

i cannot believe how well this worked. so i was at awp last month, and sitting in on a panel about…something, i can’t remember what, and a panelist (i can’t remember who, so sorry) said:

“writers’ block happens because you’re afraid to write something. so unblocking yourself is a means of finding what you’re afraid of and writing it.”

but i was skeptical, because like. sometimes i can’t write shit just because there’s nothing in my head. so i thought, ok, next time i’m stuck, i’m going to ask myself what i’m afraid of and see if that helps.

fast-forward to this afternoon. i’m 80% of the way finished with a story i’m working on, i know how it’s going to end, but i just can’t fucking write it and i don’t know why. i’ve been stuck for a week on these last couple scenes.

and then i asked myself, “what am i afraid to write?”

fuck. it was so easy. my brain immediately supplied, “i’m afraid if i take this where i want to take it, it’s going to get too long and sentimental and i’ll lose control of the story.”

and at that point, it was a simple process of deconstructing that fear. i promised myself i could write the mushy emotional stuff in another piece, so i could keep this one short and clear. i found the paragraph that started that train of thought, cut it, pasted it in a new document like a seed to sprout another story, and kept writing. 

so yeah, next time you get stuck, ask yourself, “what am i afraid to write?” and see where it gets you.