Make Mine Mystery

June 5, 2018

Linda Lee Kane

Writer's Block: Can You Use it as a Tool?

Writing is both fulfilling and frustrating. There are days, that no matter how much I want and need to make progress on a book, I am unable to put words on the page. Or, if I do force myself to write, every word feels wrong. I know I'll be deleting most of them the next day.

When I first starting writing, this terrified me. But over the past ten years, I've learned that writer's block is my subconscious telling me that something has gone wrong in my book. There a plot hole issue or a problem with a character arc. I need to back up and reassess.

  I often will go back to the beginning and read the entire manuscript. So that I don't feel as if I'm wasting time, I use this time to edit. When I return to the stopping point, sometimes I've recognized the problem and put the book back on track. If I'm still stuck, I reach out to a writer friend and talk through the issue.

So next time you're struggling with writer's block, give your WIP a good edit. Reassess your plot, make sure your characters are following their arcs, and then reach out to a friend to talk about why you're having trouble. It's possible your story has wandered off course and needs to be redirected.

MA in Education, PPS, School Psychologist, and Learning Disability Specialist, is the author of Death on the Vine, Chilled to the Bones and an upcoming re-release of the The Black Madonna.