Periodically, the very fearsome writer’s block comes knocking on our doors, and we are forced refocus thoughts and ideas. You know, that time when we find ourselves avoiding to write so much that we begin to question what got us into writing in the first place. We criticize our older stories as if that’s going to do the trick, and we put the lamest excuses in order not to write.
But sometimes, it’s not a writer’s block what we are experiencing but a writing slump, instead. To put it simply, writer’s block is when you can’t write and aren’t writing at all; you put excuses, or you can’t seem to get the words out, and it just doesn’t work. The writing slump, on the other hand, suggests you are trying and writing, but for some reason, it isn’t coming as easily as it used to, or you are not enjoying it at all.
I can tell when I’m in a slump because I’m talking about writing a whole lot more than I'm doing the actual writing, picture that. I wake up with a ton of ideas, scenes displayed vividly in my mind, but when it comes to sitting in front of the screen, my brain goes to blank.
How do you get over it?
Most times it just goes away on its own, very much like how it came. You’ll start rereading your stories, and you’ll become a fan of your own work again, but there are a few tricks that have worked for me to speed that process up.
INTRODUCE A NEW CHARACTER
If you are one of those writers who have their story all figured out from start to finish the moment the idea pops up, a writing slump can really, really suck. Most of the time, it just means you got bored of the story playing in your mind already that you don’t even care about reading it, much less writing it. Introducing a new character will give you the opportunity to add new drama to the plot and a whole lot of conflict and interactions with your other initial characters. Spice that shit up!
PLOT TWIST!
Yes, my personal favorite. Even if it doesn’t make sense and has no relation to the initial plot, just give it a shot, trust me! Sometimes, this out of nowhere shift in your story will prompt you into developing a new conflict. And if not, at least that will get you back into writing again, probably giving you enough material for two or three scenes.
FANFICTION
I’m proud to admit that writing fanfiction has been a real lifesaver when it comes to getting over the awful writing slump. Why? Well, because most storylines, characters, and settings are already created by someone else, you just need to add a new persona to the soup or if you are feeling adventurous enough, a whole new plot only for the fun of it. It will get you to write, and you’ll have fun while you are at it.
If you don’t know what fan fiction is, you can read about it here.
WHEN IN DOUBT, START SOMETHING NEW
Now, this doesn’t mean you need to drop everything you have written so far; I have an unfinished story with more than thirty thousand words that I refuse to give up on, but I still can’t come back to it no matter how much I'd like to. Write something short, start fresh. You can mix up some already created characters you’ve worked before or just start new ones. New stories mean no rules. Or new rules, if you are like me.
A little feedback from friends, family or just fellow writers, if you are brave enough, is always a good option too! Asking for encouragement will put you in the mood to write, trust me on that one.
What about you? How do you fight the writing slump?