Rx for Writer's Block

[cleolinda]

I ended up writing a bit last night about fighting writer's block--adapted in part from my response to a comment on the previous entry. So, you know, if it helps you, rock on.

One of the books we got assigned for a writer's workshop was really tough-love about it--I forget the book, probably because I was so busy trying to meet the frickin' class deadlines to read it--but the guy was basically like, "If you have block, it's because you don't want to write bad enough. Get off your ass and DO IT." He may have been more helpful than that, but I wouldn't know, because OH MY GOD I HAVE TO HAVE 5000 WORDS BY 5 PM. So let's take his advice out of context and say that "DO IT" is not, in and of itself, the most helpful advice. I think it can be helpful for a certain strain of writer's block, the fearful procrastinatory kind, but--and this is precisely my point--I think there really are different kinds of writer's block, and you really do need to treat each one differently.

Part one: Performance Anxiety

1) I'm scared to write because it's going to suck. We all know that the first draft is ugly, and is supposed to be ugly, and so on. Knowing that doesn't always dispel the fear, though, so what I used to do, back before I had my own computer, was to write in a way that Did Not Count. It's not Real Writing, you see; it's just notes, or a particularly wordy outline. So it's not supposed to sound good, and it's not for third-party consumption. Example: write on plain white paper. Write in pencil if you usually write in pen, or vice versa. Write in a different color ink (I used red ink when I was really skittish, because, come on, red ink? Does Not Count.) Write diagonally across the page. Write on large napkins. Write in bullet points. Now that I type pretty much all the time--mostly because I can keep up with the speed of thought better that way--I have different tactics: write in Arial font instead of Times New Roman. Write in italics. Write in a different color font. Write single-spaced lines. Skip lines between paragraphs instead of indenting. Do anything, anything, that visually signals that this is not a polished manuscript. Because it doesn't count, remember?

2) A subcategory of It Doesn't Count: don't try to draft in polished narrative sentences. It's too stressful, y'all. I mean, unless you're feeling it today, that's fine. But if you're feeling skittish, don't try to push it. I have what I call Narrative Sketchy, and I think I've mentioned it before, but the typical example I give is, "She's walking down the stairs--I don't know what she's going to see when she gets down there. Is it dark? Maybe there's a cat." It's more like describing the scene to yourself, almost an automatic kind of writing, and I have surprised myself several times. You get one of two things out of this process: at worst, you've blocked out what you want to happen, and you've wrestled through the whole What Happens Next problem so you can focus on writing pretty the next time around; at best, you've slipped into a proper narrative voice midstream and started writing usable text. When I pop up and go, "YAY 2500 WORDS!!," this is what I'm usually talking about: blocking things out, discussing them with myself. And a lot of times some proper narrative comes out, but really, I've come to consider What Happens Next to be just about the hardest part of the process.

(This is, incidentally, why I'm up shit creek when I try to write parodies, because you can't sketch out a draft. "Something funny here" is pretty much the whole thing, isn't it? I can list off the scenes of the movie, maybe jot down a few punchlines I've already thought of, but it's pretty much all or nothing when it's humor: it's either funny or it's not.)

Another trick I use is the bracket. A lot of times I'll be zipping along, and I know what needs to be said, but not how to say it. Or the only word I can think of is crashingly wrong, but it's going to take me thirty minutes to suss out the right one, and by then I'll have lost my train of thought entirely. This is where brackets are your friend. Use them to mark a word you want to change later, an idea you're not sure how to put into words, or a comment to yourself. Example, made up for the occasion:

They’re not sure they’re even on the right track, but as someone [Jane?] points out, it’s not like they have anything else to go on. Have them search the forest [now, as opposed to later]. And then he says, [something along the lines of "I'll never stop until I get my revenge," except less obvious and lame].

The idea is to keep moving when you're setting down a draft for the first time; don't let indecision or perfectionism get in the way of your initial ideas. You've got plenty of time to dither over nuances in the revision phase(s). And there are other things you can use as well. Make Microsoft Word earn its keep, y'all. You've got footnotes (ctrl+alt+F), endnotes, comments--all kinds of things you can use. Actual footnotes I have used:

1. This is an awful [minor] character name. Replace with something better.
2. Remember to revisit this idea up later in [certain scene].
3. She figured that out a little too easily, didn't she?
4. This is a nice line and all, but it’s completely out of character.
5. A little less Tolkien Lite in the revision, thnx.

3) Just say what damn happens. I learned this the hard way--after reading Nabokov, I was obsessed with the idea that every sentence had to sparkle like a jewel. I've finally gotten to the point, however, where I've realized that I want to write stories that are, above all, entertaining reads. Not stupid reads; not trashy reads. But I have come to believe that, among "entertaining," "profound," and "beautifully written," "entertaining" is hardest. If you can engage the reader and tell a good story, you can--and should--worry about the polish and the profundity, but you can worry about it later. Here's another thing I've learned: I'm not Nabokov. Dude, no one is. I've tried to develop an ear for sound and rhythm, though, and I think that's taking me further than gilding every single word. Because, here's the thing: it's very, very hard to read a story when you're tripping over silver-dollar verbosity. What you want is the best word, which may or may not be the prettiest. I forget who it was who first told me to kill all gratuitous adverbs, but seriously: thank you. And just say "he said," full stop. Yes, every single time, unless adding a descriptive verb or adverb actually changes the meaning of the sentence.

"Well, that's wonderful," he snapped.

Like all rules, it's a rule made to be broken. But see if it doesn't help your writing move a lot faster.

And if you don't believe me, as far as the overly pretty writing goes, think of it like this: stuffing your sentences with exotic, ornate words is like the yodeling those American Idol contestants gum up their performances with; overwriting is literary melisma. Or, to put it another way in the same vein, listen to any great pop song: a performer just lets the song ride for a verse or so. The whole song can't be bridge or chorus. Some of it is; but not all of it. Save the heavy descriptors for when you really need to rock.

The thing to remember is that what you really want to do is tell a story in a relatively unobtrusive way. Just get the girl down the stairs, okay? You don't have to think of the most imaginative verb or describe every painstaking squeak of the steps. After you've been writing a while, you'll get a feel for what kinds of words you need to deploy and when. And the deployment of picturesque words is something you can do in subsequent revisions--when you're drafting, just get the girl down the damn stairs.

Later today: what to do when you get stalled mid-story.

Comments

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Hey, we were just talking about that!



It felt great to explain this rule to a couple of younger authors. They're so cute when they learn.

[word-herder.livejournal.com]

Can I snag this icon? It totally rocks! I will credit whoever made it.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

That would be me. It's in the name of the file, so snag away!

[word-herder.livejournal.com]

Cool! Thank you.

(And won't hotlink it either because that is EVIL.)

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

(And doesn't work for icons anyway.)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hee! Favorite "ohhhhh, no" attribution: ejaculated. You see it in older books a lot. Instant comedy.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Technically, it's correct.

Doesn't mean it's a good idea!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

See, exactly. Completely correct, nothing grammatically wrong with it. DON'T USE IT.

[kpachayagolobka.livejournal.com]

my freshman year I was in advanced creative writing with a bunch of junior and senior English majors. One of them thought they'd be super cute (and by that I mean obviously more intelligent than the rest of us) and write a "period" piece that wasn't really in any established period. They used the word "ejaculated" in reference to an exclamatory statement (also unnecessary jargon). I circled it in nice red ink and put a big fat question mark beside it, "Is this really necessary?"

the next draft was marked by a distinct lack of ejaculates.

hee. I said ejaculates.

[word-herder.livejournal.com]

In one of the very first stories I wrote, I committed one of these egregious errors. A character got shot in the arm. His response? "Ouch!" he exclaimed.

My best friend and critic still teases me about that one.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Mark Twain is a terrible offender (sex offender?) on that count.

[t4-flirt.livejournal.com]

OH. MY. GOD.

I told off one of my college English professors two years ago because he didn't 'approve' of my using said. I used some of the same points your icon does. Scary.

And I love the 'boobies' icon. Had to mention that. :)

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Boobies! Thank you.

I don't understand at all the philosophy of not using "said." The adverb thing I can be flexible on, but hating "said"? That's just weird.

[exiledprincess.livejournal.com]

I can't speak for others, but I know why I've had trouble just using "said" in th past.

In middle school, we had to practice editing another student's creative writing assignment. I once had to edit a story with a page consisting of:

"Let's go swimming." Joe said.
"Yeah, it is very hot today." Tommy said.
"It is fun to go swimming." said Bobby.
"Right." said Fred.

Ok, that last line was totally gratuitous. The point is,after that, I was traumatised. I realize that the writing in general was bad, but it was enough for me to bookmark the thesaurus entry for "said".

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

"Let's go swimming," Joe remarked.
"Yeah, it is very hot today," Tommy averred.
"It is fun to go swimming," replied Bobby.
"Right," affirmed Fred.

That's even worse. Or, you could go crazy:

"Let's go swimming," Joe exclaimed.
"Yeah, it is very hot today," Tommy breathed.
"It is fun to go swimming," protested Bobby.
"Right," Fred grated out.

Holy melodrama, Batman!

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Batman? Hell, that's the Hardy Boys in a nutshell.

"Joe, come here!" Frank whispered.

"What is it, Frank?" asked his blond-haired brother. "I've heard that signal three times now, just as the clock struck midnight. Do you suppose it could be espionage? "

As the young detectives listened, the signal came again! The boys did not wait to hear more. They ran through the yard and pounced on the source. But there was nothing there! As the boys stood wondering, the call came again, from the other side of the lawn.

Suddenly Frank smacked his forehead. "We've been had, Joe. By a Northern Mockingbird, no less." His brother grinned sheepishly.

"I'm glad Dad wasn't here to see this!"

(by particle_person M. Dixon)

[kpachayagolobka.livejournal.com]

That Tommy line sounds a little... odd.

I think remarked is actually a fairly acceptable option in the case of said (har) issue-- the attack of the saids.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

No, I know--I used to have a huge problem with "said" too, because teachers and writing books will tell you that said's too boring and they'll brainwash you into thinking you shouldn't use it. What I ended up realizing is that if my dialogue's bad, it's not said's fault. And this is why using no attribution at all, when it's obvious who *is* speaking, really helps break up the said-said-said.

[farasha.livejournal.com]

Another thing that will almost immediately get you over a fear of "said" is taking a journalism class. When writing for a newspaper/yearbook/magazine, you aren't allowed to use any word but "said," because any other word makes an inferrence as to the state of the interviewed person. Colorful synonyms for "said" just interject the journalist's opinion, which you are never allowed to do. "Said" is the only acceptable word in journalistic writing.

I've also found that half the time, I don't even pay attention to whatever colorful synonym for "said" the author has written. I glance at the name to make sure I know who's speaking, and then get on with the reading.

[kpachayagolobka.livejournal.com]

WOW that's amazing and I want to preach it to everyone in every writing class I've ever had