It happens to all of us
at some point. Writing is going along well, and then boom. A problem or stumbling
block comes along. The question goes something like this.
If I let the protagonist
do that, the next scene won’t work, OR, she has to get herself out of this
mess. How is she going to do it when she left her weapon at home.
Sometimes I begin to
question my original idea, but most often I try a few strategies first.
One is to sleep on it.
Somehow my brain goes to work when I sleep, and sometimes I wake with a solution.
Gardening in very
therapeutic. My brain can work on all kinds of ideas while my hands are pulling
weeds.
A good long walk is
kind of like gardening. It’s undisturbed time to mull over ideas and besides,
exercise is always good for the brain.
Sometimes I get someone
else’s take on the problem, like my son. I get a guy’s angle on it.
And then, in the end, I
may just let the protagonist do what I don’t want her to do and see what
happens. After all, there’s always the delete key.
Maybe other people
don’t run into stumbling blocks when writing. But if you do, how do you handle
it?
