It can't be that bad, I kept telling
myself.
After all, I didn't have any major problems, just adding a few scenes for
punch. Surely my memory failed me. I didn't really have a tangled mess in chapter twenty four. I probably just needed to erase and
replace, brush away that old plot thread, and weave in the one I
intended.
No problem. Piece of cake.
Eh. Not so much.
That sleeping monster: the not-so-great
chapter....opened its lazy eyes, and began to stretch its arms,
shoving away all my attempts to avoid picking him up and plopping him
in the trash. It would be a struggle, wouldn't it? Too much time to
try and fill in the giant gap his absence would leave. Perhaps I can
just dress him up, so he “looks” good. Maybe, just maybe, he's
not so bad after all.
And the little girl inside of me fell
to the floor kicking and screaming:
"Please, please, please don't make me
start over!"
Excuse #1: Tweak what you have to fit
your new plot line. So, in my case, I needed to readjust the plot.
During that first draft, I had gone down a rabbit hole, and while it
might have been an intriguing story line, it really was for a whole
different book altogether. But, I really liked my set up, my
language, the whole “feel” of the scene. There is a major problem
though, when you try and fit a new scene into an old one...your
characters throw a fit.
Consider your arc: would your character
really do that, say that, or find themselves in that place on this
new journey you've invented?
You can't just peel away the top layer and slap a new layer on it. You've got to consider the whole onion (as one particularly green monster would say. Any guesses?).
Excuse #2: Ignore your gut, it is good
enough. But is it? You've written a whole manuscript. Certainly that
tucks some more-refined skills in your writer's pocket? Each page you
write, gives you the chance to get better. Why else do you edit,
anyway? So, when you get to that scene you may have written a couple
months ago, don't settle for last month's “good” when this
month's good might have reached a whole new level.
Consider your own growth as a writer:
Is this scene truly reflecting your best creativity, your strongest
representation of the story in your head? Or does it have a
hand-me-down feel, a poorly sewn patchwork of character motives?
Excuse #3: After excuse #1 and excuse
#2 wasted away my time, I heaved that ugly monster and tossed him in
the trash. But then came something that has not visited me for a long
time:
Writer's block.
Yeah, my plot was off, and what I thought would
help was a good ol' fashion tweaking. That obviously didn't work. So
now what? How can I make this worth reading to, reading thru, and
hooking the reader for what's to come?
I found three things that sparked my
creativity, choose one or more:
Crit partner brainstorming session: This is my favorite. My crit partner knows my story and my characters almost as good as me. And she also knows me. When I ask for her advice on a new plot thread, or keeping an old one, she can see through my laziness in not wanting the change, or she comes up with questions that dig deeper than the plot that's blinding me from what my characters want and need. It's always nice to have a second pair of eyes no matter what part of the process you are in, but when writing block hits, crit partners can be huge in breaking down that wall!
Crit partner brainstorming session: This is my favorite. My crit partner knows my story and my characters almost as good as me. And she also knows me. When I ask for her advice on a new plot thread, or keeping an old one, she can see through my laziness in not wanting the change, or she comes up with questions that dig deeper than the plot that's blinding me from what my characters want and need. It's always nice to have a second pair of eyes no matter what part of the process you are in, but when writing block hits, crit partners can be huge in breaking down that wall!
Research: No matter if you write
historical or suspense, sci-fi or women's fiction, research doesn't
just happen before you write. Sometimes you need to tap into research
to spur on what's going to happen next. Since I write historical, I
can look at events of that time, and decide how would my character
react to them? Or perhaps there are other people's stories you come
across that spur an idea? Would this be good to include in your plot to
push your story forward? Even if it's a tid bit of research, if it gets
you into your character's head and on to paper (or screen) then you
can write yourself out of writer's block.
Take a break and read: Let your
writer's mind rest. Step away from the story and jump into someone
else's world for a while. Sometimes we focus so much on our own
story's jagged edges, that we can't remove ourself from the snag to
see the bigger picture. And sometimes, your creative juice bank needs
to be filled up...which usually always happens when you dive into
someone else's art for a while!
Do any of these stop you from moving
forward in your rewrites? What other excuses have you told yourself
to keep from writing the best for your story?
***************************************************************************
Angie
Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the
monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to
impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief.
This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves
salvation and grace themes across cultures. She is an ACFW member and
CEO of a family of six.
***************************************************************************
Angie
Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the
monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to
impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief.
This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves
salvation and grace themes across cultures. She is an ACFW member and
CEO of a family of six. 
