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getyourwordsoutWelcome again to everyone joining us for the Year-End Marathon and to everyone looking for a peek behind the curtain at GYWO. Each month volunteers post discussions about writing craft, life, and publishing. This rare public post is to give a taste of the full GYWO experience. We welcome you to interact, comment, and share your own experiences on the topic.
Tips for Getting Unstuck
No matter how much planning you do, there is always an opportunity for a writer to get stuck. Maybe your characters don’t agree with your plan, or you realize the plot twist is too obvious, or for whatever reason today this scene just doesn’t want to be written. Regardless of what’s actually going on, the bottom line is that you’re stuck in your writing and you need to not be stuck.
Let’s talk about some ways to apply a little grease and get your draft moving again.
The Walk & Simmer
Sometimes the best thing you can do is to walk away from your writing for a while. That while could be the length of a shower or a stroll around your neighborhood, or it could be the rest of the day.
Walking away from the problem lets you escape the doom and gloom mindset you can face if you keep beating your head against the wall. It gives you space to examine the problem without the pressure of the page, or for you to let your subconscious mull it over while you make dinner or fold laundry or just go do something else!
Walking away also lets you rest. Creating takes a lot of energy, and sometimes when we hit a wall in writing, it’s not that we don’t know what comes next or how to write the thing, it can be because our energy is low and we just need to recharge. Sometimes if you leave your writing for the day, when you come back, you’re suddenly unstuck!
Throw Spaghetti at a Friend
Okay, don’t actually throw spaghetti at a friend (I mean, unless they asked you to). Bring a friend, writer, or writing support person into your confidence and brainstorming and ask them to listen as you talk about your problem and some solutions.
Often I’m not asking the other person to solve my problem, I just need a real person to be a sounding board for me. (The Duck Method of talking to a rubber duck might work for some, but I need a flesh and blood human to give me some validation once I figure out a possible solution.) Once I get talking about the problem, the process of verbalizing it makes the solution become clear.
Writing is a written form of storytelling, which is why I think verbalizing our stories can sometimes help us get unstuck. The next time you’re stuck, try talking to someone about the problem and see if explaining where you’re stuck helps you figure out how to get unstuck.
Skip Ahead
If you’re stuck on one scene or decision, why not skip it and write something else instead?
Sometimes moving on helps clarify what had you stuck in the first place. Reviewing your plan or thinking ahead can establish where the scene needs to go next and unlock what should happen prior to that.
And even if it doesn’t unstick the stuck scene, moving forward lets you move forward! Maybe the immediate scene after doesn’t solve your problem, but the next one might, or the one after that. The more time you spend progressing your story, the more likely you are to uncover what had you stuck and find a solution to get that scene unstuck.
Or, if you’re like me, “giving up” is a sure way to kick my brain into gear and suddenly I know what to do with the previously stuck scene. (Seriously, this happens more often than I’d like to admit.)
Write an Option
Sometimes the solution to getting unstuck is writing all the ridiculously wrong solutions.
Writing an option starts by identifying all the things that could happen next in your story. That includes the logical, the out of character, the confounding, and the absolutely ridiculous. Get all the ideas out there of what could possibly happen in your story—characters who suddenly appear, secrets that are randomly revealed, soup tureens poured over heads, or an arrow flying in through the window (seriously, give yourself a few silly ones just to loosen yourself up).
After you have some options, you can eliminate some just because they don’t fit the story, but then choose one to write. Maybe you don’t start with the one that seems most likely, when the characters reveal their feelings, and instead overturn a soup tureen. What happens to the story when you do? Do you like it? Does it make sense with the rest of your plot? No? Alright, try another one!
Writing a few options can help you figure out what you want the scene to be and will keep you moving forward as you draft. (You’ll also either come up with some great outtakes for readers, or you’ll get a deeper understanding of your characters and world or can steal some lines for later.)
Reread
Occasionally the trick to getting unstuck is stopping and reviewing what’s already happened. That doesn’t mean you sit down and read the whole story (especially if you’re writing a novel and you’re on Chapter 30). But go back a scene or two, or maybe to the start of the last chapter, and read over what you’ve written, how the story has developed, and see if it helps make clear the obvious thing that should come next.
If you have an outline, rereading your outline is another good thing to do. You might take the time to update it with any changes that happened while you were drafting and see if that unlocks where you’re stuck. What has changed from your plan? What is preventing you from keeping to your original plan? Where can you go from here?
If you don’t have an outline, creating an outline of what you’ve already written might help you get unstuck. If you’re not a planner, just write a summary of the scene or what important things happened. Focus on both plot and character. Once you’ve written down all the things that already happened, it can illuminate what should happen next to get to where you want the story to go.
Interrogation!
If you’re still stuck, it might be time to try something with a little more guidance. Here’s a set of questions that might help you get unstuck as you uncover what the scene is about:
You can use any of these questions to help refine what needs to happen in the scene—from what the main character wishes would happen to the most obnoxious things that could happen. How do other characters and the environment cause conflict? How do they impede the main character? These questions can help unlock a scene whenever you’re stuck.
How do you go about getting unstuck while you’re drafting? Have you tried any of these strategies? And if you’re stuck right now and want to throw spaghetti at a wall, some of us will be around in the comments.
Tips for Getting Unstuck
No matter how much planning you do, there is always an opportunity for a writer to get stuck. Maybe your characters don’t agree with your plan, or you realize the plot twist is too obvious, or for whatever reason today this scene just doesn’t want to be written. Regardless of what’s actually going on, the bottom line is that you’re stuck in your writing and you need to not be stuck.
Let’s talk about some ways to apply a little grease and get your draft moving again.
The Walk & Simmer
Sometimes the best thing you can do is to walk away from your writing for a while. That while could be the length of a shower or a stroll around your neighborhood, or it could be the rest of the day.
Walking away from the problem lets you escape the doom and gloom mindset you can face if you keep beating your head against the wall. It gives you space to examine the problem without the pressure of the page, or for you to let your subconscious mull it over while you make dinner or fold laundry or just go do something else!
Walking away also lets you rest. Creating takes a lot of energy, and sometimes when we hit a wall in writing, it’s not that we don’t know what comes next or how to write the thing, it can be because our energy is low and we just need to recharge. Sometimes if you leave your writing for the day, when you come back, you’re suddenly unstuck!
Throw Spaghetti at a Friend
Okay, don’t actually throw spaghetti at a friend (I mean, unless they asked you to). Bring a friend, writer, or writing support person into your confidence and brainstorming and ask them to listen as you talk about your problem and some solutions.
Often I’m not asking the other person to solve my problem, I just need a real person to be a sounding board for me. (The Duck Method of talking to a rubber duck might work for some, but I need a flesh and blood human to give me some validation once I figure out a possible solution.) Once I get talking about the problem, the process of verbalizing it makes the solution become clear.
Writing is a written form of storytelling, which is why I think verbalizing our stories can sometimes help us get unstuck. The next time you’re stuck, try talking to someone about the problem and see if explaining where you’re stuck helps you figure out how to get unstuck.
Skip Ahead
If you’re stuck on one scene or decision, why not skip it and write something else instead?
Sometimes moving on helps clarify what had you stuck in the first place. Reviewing your plan or thinking ahead can establish where the scene needs to go next and unlock what should happen prior to that.
And even if it doesn’t unstick the stuck scene, moving forward lets you move forward! Maybe the immediate scene after doesn’t solve your problem, but the next one might, or the one after that. The more time you spend progressing your story, the more likely you are to uncover what had you stuck and find a solution to get that scene unstuck.
Or, if you’re like me, “giving up” is a sure way to kick my brain into gear and suddenly I know what to do with the previously stuck scene. (Seriously, this happens more often than I’d like to admit.)
Write an Option
Sometimes the solution to getting unstuck is writing all the ridiculously wrong solutions.
Writing an option starts by identifying all the things that could happen next in your story. That includes the logical, the out of character, the confounding, and the absolutely ridiculous. Get all the ideas out there of what could possibly happen in your story—characters who suddenly appear, secrets that are randomly revealed, soup tureens poured over heads, or an arrow flying in through the window (seriously, give yourself a few silly ones just to loosen yourself up).
After you have some options, you can eliminate some just because they don’t fit the story, but then choose one to write. Maybe you don’t start with the one that seems most likely, when the characters reveal their feelings, and instead overturn a soup tureen. What happens to the story when you do? Do you like it? Does it make sense with the rest of your plot? No? Alright, try another one!
Writing a few options can help you figure out what you want the scene to be and will keep you moving forward as you draft. (You’ll also either come up with some great outtakes for readers, or you’ll get a deeper understanding of your characters and world or can steal some lines for later.)
- Option + Random Selection
A variation on Write an Option is to number the possible things that could happen next in the story and then roll a die or choose a random number. You can write it, imagine it, or just trust your gut reaction to the option. Is it what you want to happen next? Does it make sense for the story? Does it ~feel right?
Introducing a random element and assessing your gut reaction can sometimes help you weed through your thoughts faster than stepping through each option.
Reread
Occasionally the trick to getting unstuck is stopping and reviewing what’s already happened. That doesn’t mean you sit down and read the whole story (especially if you’re writing a novel and you’re on Chapter 30). But go back a scene or two, or maybe to the start of the last chapter, and read over what you’ve written, how the story has developed, and see if it helps make clear the obvious thing that should come next.
If you have an outline, rereading your outline is another good thing to do. You might take the time to update it with any changes that happened while you were drafting and see if that unlocks where you’re stuck. What has changed from your plan? What is preventing you from keeping to your original plan? Where can you go from here?
If you don’t have an outline, creating an outline of what you’ve already written might help you get unstuck. If you’re not a planner, just write a summary of the scene or what important things happened. Focus on both plot and character. Once you’ve written down all the things that already happened, it can illuminate what should happen next to get to where you want the story to go.
Interrogation!
If you’re still stuck, it might be time to try something with a little more guidance. Here’s a set of questions that might help you get unstuck as you uncover what the scene is about:
- Main Character
What does your POV/main character want in this scene? What is their goal?
Why do they want it? Why must they achieve their goal?
What will it mean for the character if they achieve their goal?
What actions must they take to achieve their goal?
Additional Characters
Who else is in the scene? What do they want?
Is this character an obstacle for the POV/main character? Does their goal conflict with or support the POV character’s goal?
What is their relationship to the POV/main character right now?
What shows their current relationship in scene? How does that relationship affect their mental, emotional, or motivational states?
Setting
Where is the scene taking place?
How does the environment support or hinder goal achievement?
How do the characters interact with the environment?
Does the character have to perform any actions because of the setting? (For example, wash the dishes while in the kitchen.) Do those actions affect their progress toward the goal?
Are there any cultural rituals or rites the character is ignoring or protesting by their actions or inaction? (Includes things as mundane as not saying “thank you” or as big as not paying taxes or throwing a brick through a window.)
Conflict
What impedes the POV/main character’s ability to reach their goal?
What (or who) distracts them from their goal?
How does the setting and their relationships impact their ability to focus on the goal?
You can use any of these questions to help refine what needs to happen in the scene—from what the main character wishes would happen to the most obnoxious things that could happen. How do other characters and the environment cause conflict? How do they impede the main character? These questions can help unlock a scene whenever you’re stuck.
How do you go about getting unstuck while you’re drafting? Have you tried any of these strategies? And if you’re stuck right now and want to throw spaghetti at a wall, some of us will be around in the comments.
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Date: 2025-12-10 03:30 pm (UTC)