R. Scott Tyler
I've learned several ways to deal with writer's block from participating in, and winning, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for the last three years. I won't bore you with all the tricks, but one I really love is the relationship web.
If I'm at a road block, stuck on where to go next, I write down a list of all the characters in my story then start drawing relationship lines between them. I tried this in 2013 and 'realized' that the elderly woman in my story had known the antagonist since he was a child. This was unknown to me until the relationship web exercise revealed it. It was a critical turning point in the ultimate solution to the story.
It doesn't always happen, but sometimes a writer has to sit back and listen more closely to what the characters are saying.
If I'm at a road block, stuck on where to go next, I write down a list of all the characters in my story then start drawing relationship lines between them. I tried this in 2013 and 'realized' that the elderly woman in my story had known the antagonist since he was a child. This was unknown to me until the relationship web exercise revealed it. It was a critical turning point in the ultimate solution to the story.
It doesn't always happen, but sometimes a writer has to sit back and listen more closely to what the characters are saying.
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more