How to Beat Writer’s Block
Okay, I’m going to be blunt and up front with you here.
I don’t believe in writer’s block.
Oh, I believe that you can get stuck sometimes. Hell, I write without an outline, so I get stuck all the time. Writing is a lot like running. You keep going and going and eventually you run out of wind. So you need to rest for a while, then get back out there and start running again.
And how do you do that?
One foot in front of the other.
One of the easiest ways to get past those stuck moments is to use the AIC method. And if you don’t know the AIC method, trust me, it’s nothing new. Writer’s have been practicing it for decades. Centuries. There isn’t a writer alive who hasn’t, at one time or another in his/her life, used this method:
Ass.
In.
Chair.
“But, Rob,” you cry, “it isn’t as simple as that. I put my ass in my chair and all I do is stare at a blank screen and have no idea what to write. It’s been this way for days. Weeks.”
My answer to you, then, is maybe you weren’t meant to write.
Professional writers don’t have a choice but to produce words. Once you get a book or a movie deal, you’re given a deadline. And you’d damn well better meet that deadline or you won’t work again. So, please, don’t give me any of that whiny, cry-baby crap about not being able to find your muse.
Your muse is a crutch, and kiddo, if you don’t produce, you have nobody to blame but yourself.
Ass
In
Chair.
And once you sit down, it doesn’t matter WHAT you write. As long as you’re writing. Putting words down. Just close your eyes and start typing nonsense. Write anything.
Because once you get started, you might just discover that you’re getting into a rhythm, that the words are starting to flow, and the next thing you know you’re starting to make sense and, hey, that line wasn’t too bad, maybe you can come up with another one — and, yeah, there you go, it’s happening now.
And you know what? Maybe what you write mostly sucks. Maybe it’s so bad you wouldn’t show it to your best friend in the whole world, or your mother, who always loves everything you do.
But guess what?
You don’t have to.
What you write is for your eyes only, and will only go out into the world when you’re ready to release it. When you feel confident enough to let it go.
So, you really have no excuse. And writer’s block is just that. An excuse.
So knock off the whining and get that ass back in your chair.
You can do it. You know you can.
Fantastic. Now THAT’s a hard hitting article on ‘block. I don’t believe much in it either, especially if you have an outline. If you somehow run into a bump that you can’t quite work out the right path to take (and honestly that’s the only thing I can see holding people up), then jump ahead and start at another bullet in your outline. Seam it up later, but as you said: AIC.
Good blog.
Excellent advice, my man!
And you always write without an outline? Impressive.
I so agree!
Though I did read something cool about muses on Ben Esch’s blog. (http://www.dixienguyen.com/blog.html – am I allowed to show the link?)
He actually had a picture of his muse- one of those fat chef timers. He writes till his muse goes off. Not bad.
Crap! I wish you’d give us some warning before delivering such a solid kick to the ass.
But I seriously needed that. I might write it on to a sticker and tape it to the front of my screen. Or maybe stick it to my forehead… a useful spot for smacking myself everytime I reach up to work up what the hell is there…
…and so to work.
Thanks, guys. Terry, anyone who has an outline REALLY has no excuse. If you get stuck, you always have something fall back on.
J.R., yes, it’s true, I write without one. I’m crazy that way. But I’m too impatient to outline. I figure I’ll work it all out while I’m writing.
Sarah, no problem posting a link, and I’ll be sure to check it out.
Vic, I’m glad to be able to deliver the kick you needed.
Rob
I think it was Stephen King who said writers block is what happenes when you try to be a better writer than you are. That can apply to anybody. I have found only one exception to that assessment: people who don’t really feel like doing the AIC part, and think saying they’re blocked is so much more romantic than saying they don’t feel like it.
Rob, I love ya to death, and this is great advice.
But no advice works for everybody. So I love the emphatic way in which you deliver it, but hey, I’m a pro writer, and AIC doesn’t work for me. Except when it does. Which isn’t always. Because, what works for some doesn’t work for all, and what works for me today doesn’t work for me next week!
Hi, Pooks. I’ve always said that the process is different for every writer.
And there are times when I might agree with you that AIC doesn’t work. But that’s not because of the advice itself. It’s because I didn’t WANT it to work.
In other words, I’m resisting when I should be giving in. Or is it the other way around?
Sometimes I just don’t feel like writing. But that ain’t writer’s block.
If you feel you’re genuinely blocked, then try the “writing nonsense” tip. No method can work for everyone on the planet, but I’d say that one works for most.
Thanks for reminding me that there’s no magic bullet. I’ve added a disclaimer to the site to point that out.
@admin
I think perhaps part of the problem I have with the advice is that it seems to be about discipline, and if you’re having trouble, you’re just not working hard enough/trying hard enough.
I think your message is exactly what I need to hear on some days, but it’s not universal.
Where I think writing something every day can be really helpful is by keeping you in the world you’re writing about. The longer you stay away, the harder it can be to dig yourself back in. I told a friend, “Just open the file, write five words, and quit for the day.” She did, and the five words were funny words, and she quit. But just thinking about those five words kept her involved in the story, and by the next day, had pointed her to the next scene she needed to write. So it wasn’t the “ass in chair” but “muse in world” that counted.
Boy, I hate to say it, but I really do think it boils down to discipline. Not to discount what you’re experiencing — I obviously can’t speak for everyone and won’t even try to — but I believe that ninety percent of the time, the person is trouble is in trouble because he or she isn’t pushing hard enough.
There will, however, always be a ten percent (or whatever) that has other things blocking them. But I think they’re the exception rather than the rule.
As for your five words a day, idea. I think that’s pretty much the same as my suggesting you just write anything. Doesn’t matter if it’s gibberish. The point is to get your butt in the chair and get your brain working. I’m frankly skeptical of the whole “muse” concept. The idea of a muse takes control away from the writer and can be used as an excuse not to write.
I think you are both absolutely right: daily discipline, AND ( very impotant) being in touch with the world you´re creating, every day. Also, I would add, get real life out of the way be solving your everyday problems so that they´re not nagging you somewhere in the back of your head. That too is an inspiration killer.