Photo by ennif pendahl on Unsplash
What do you do when you get stuck in a writing project? I’ve stumbled on several ideas over the years and want to collect some of them here. Probably none of these will surprise you, but having a list of things to try is useful in the moment when you’re looking for a thread to follow.
Writing Practice
I tend to rely on writing practice at the first sign of trouble, and it usually helps me figure out what’s wrong (see posts on days 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 for more information on writing practice). Most of the time, I know intuitively what to do, but discursive thoughts get in the way. Writing and keeping my hand moving without censuring helps me get around them.
You are here
It helps to know where I’m at. What exactly am I working on? What is the goal? Where am I at in the process? Within a project, I think about what I’m writing away from and what I’m writing toward. This is so simple, but I sometimes lost my way. Stopping to see where I am in relation to my goal helps.
Take Stock
Once I know where I am, I want to consider what I have at my disposal. What do I know about the challenge in front of me? What tools and resources can I apply to the challenge? What are some options I can try? I also really appreciate a question that Michael Bungay Stanier asks in The Coaching Habit: “What is the real challenge here for you?” You can repeat this question multiple times (just as we do with the five whys, see the day 9 post) to get to the bottom of what’s getting in the way.
Next Step
Do I know what the next step is? If not, what might that next step look like? What have I done in similar situations in the past? What might my mentors tell me about the next step? What would the protagonist in my favorite story do? Sometimes we need to try something, even if it’s not quite right, to see what the next right step is.
Change Altitude
Sometimes changing the level from which I’m viewing a project or challenge can help me get a clearer view of what’s going on. If I’m stuck down in the weeds, I try to get to a higher level. This is as simple as looking at what I’m trying to say in a paragraph to help me craft a sentence. What’s essential? What must be included? What should be left out? But sometimes that’s not enough narrative distance. I can pop up to a higher level: What am I trying to accomplish with this unit of writing (whether it’s an email, editorial notes, an article, or the chapter of a book)? The purpose often sheds light on what to say and how to say it.
If I’m stuck in top-down planning, often the best solution is to write a sentence or paragraph. If I can create a fractal of the larger idea, I come to understand it better and can find a way through.
Change Something Else
Change Position: Especially if you happen to be a kinesthetic learner, getting up and moving through physical space with the right kind of music can get useful thoughts flowing again. I use Brain.fm and Mindspa with great results.
Change Location: I move to a different location in my house or to my local library. Coffee shops don’t tend to work for me because I get distracted by people coming and going, but they work for a lot of people.
Change Mode: If I’ve been typing, I switch to writing by hand in a notebook or on a 25-by-30-inch pad of paper. In the alternative, I try dictating my thoughts (often while walking).
This post is part of a 75-day writing challenge and experiment. From September 9 through November 22, I'll be posting daily thoughts on writing, storytelling, and creativity based on recent readings or reflections. While my intention was to keep them very short—250 to 400 words—I've found that this range doesn't give me enough space to cover these topics adequately. I aim to keep them brief enough to be read quickly, but they will often be longer than 400 words.
At the end of the challenge, I will organize and revise the material with intention. For now, the object is to explore and share.