Beyond the Book

This week I'm talking about how to deal with writer’s block. Writer’s block is a funny thing. An author will be writing along with everything going well, and all at once she hits a wall. No more words will come. It’s a very disconcerting thing when it happens. 

I’ve had writer’s block before myself. Happily for me, it did resolve itself. One thing I did was to step away from the project for a time. Then, when I’d go back I could see the manuscript in a new light and was able to proceed. 

Another thing I’ve done is to just write through it. I wrote some pretty awful stuff, most of which had to be thrown away, but the simple act of writing something seemed to help. 

The third thing I’ve done is related to the first. I set the work aside and read other people for a while. I’ve always been a reader so I found new enthusiasm for writing when I found a new book I enjoyed.

I think that sometimes authors get writer’s block when they get discouraged. There’s nothing like working and slaving over a book only to have people ignore it once it’s published. If I ever felt discouraged I’d think of all the people who wanted to write a book but couldn’t. I’d also think about the fact that some publisher thought my story was good enough to send me a contract. I’d also feel thankful for my small fan base that seems to enjoy most of my stories. I started writing mostly for myself. It made me happy to create a new place and people. I hope I never forget that if my books make me happy it doesn’t matter if they’re on a bestseller list or not. (Although that would be fun!)

Authors, what about you? How do you deal with writer’s block?