What To Do When Your Novel is Stuck
What To Do When Your Novel is Stuck
Tips and techniques to get you out of the rut
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I got stuck trying to figure out what to write this Thursday (okay, I know, it’s actually Friday as this is being published but I sent my author newsletter yesterday and did not want to overload your inbox). And that got me thinking about stuckness. And remembering way back into the mists of August, like, two weeks ago, when I was stuck on my novel. And that made me realize that sharing some thoughts on how to get unstuck when writing a novel might be helpful.
I wrote something similar here recently, but that was aimed at writing in general. This is about being stuck in a novel in particular, so here goes.
When You’re Stuck
Here’s the deal: when you’re stuck, you don’t know why. If you knew why, you’d do something about it. But you don’t. So you stay stuck. Which is why I offer a variety of ways to view where you are and encourage you to try various ones. Open your mind to considering the story from different angles. Pro tip: the one that you resist the most might be the one that offers a breakthrough.
When I’m stuck, it feels awful. Frustrating, puzzling, annoying. It often happens when I’ve been happily writing away and seems to come out of the blue. One minute I’m merrily piling up pages, loving the feeling, and the next I’ve screeched to a halt. It’s like sailing along the freeway at 70 mph and suddenly I have to brake for a traffic jam ahead of me. And who knows how long that traffic jam is going to last? I add that worry onto the one I already have about being stuck and yes, that makes things move even more slowly.
So let’s see if we can unclog that jam a little faster.
Check in/Mindset
Take a minute to assess where you are.
—Do you need to replenish the well? One thing I’ve noticed is that when I’m sailing along, happily writing, I tend to forget that I need to fill myself back up. Writing a long-term project takes a lot of creative energy. Maybe you are stuck because you’re depleted. Maybe get in some self-care or take an artist’s date.
—Or, look at the flip side. Are you taking it too easy on the page? Are you holding back because you can’t quite face the material? Is it hitting a little too close to home (which generally means you’ve hit fictional pay dirt)?
—Maybe you’re overthinking it. And by overthinking, I mean using your intellect instead of your heart. Novels are about emotion and feelings. Your job is to move the reader; make her laugh, cry, rage, tremble, scream in fright. What’s the heart of it? Get out of your head and go for the emotion. Overdo it, emote on the page, be corny and schmaltzy and sentimental. You can go back and edit later.
—Ponder this wisdom from Tiffany Clarke Harrison:
“Stop making things that aren’t a problem, a problem. All this does is distract you from the actual work. If you had a slow writing day, cool. Instead of focusing on what you didn’t write, focus on what you did—what can you be proud of there? If your character took you in a different direction, cool. What did your character need you to see there? When you start kicking yourself over something, ask ‘is this an actual problem or am I making it one?’”
—Maybe what you need is a little empathy for yourself and your characters.
Back to the Basics
When I get stuck, I go back to the basics. You did some prep work for your novel, right? Figured out characters, came up with at least a loose plot and some info on the setting? Right? Am I right? This is the time to go back to that pre-writing. And if you didn’t, this might be a good time to do some. Here are some points to ponder—and do some side writing on.
—What does your character want? This is the simplest of questions but it is also often the hardest. What does your character want? Really, really want? Bonus points if you can make it tangible. This is worth spending time on and digging deep into. In my current WIP, I knew what my character didn’t want, but not exactly what she wanted. And that wasn’t enough. I think this is often the case with female protagonists and women’s fiction because we females have been trained to be reactive. (Side note: time to retrain ourselves from that, friends.) The good novels recognize this and turn the character’s don’t want into a want.
I read a book recently with fabulous characters and a fun voice. So much of it was a pleasure to read. But I also got bored with it and annoyed with the character. About two-thirds of the way through I realized why. I didn’t know what the character wanted—and the character didn’t either. Your protagonist’s desire is the golden thread that pulls your character and your readers through the novel.
—What is your character’s misbelief? What is the lie she believes about herself? Do you know this? Do you understand how it affects her and how it makes respond to the shit that happens to her? The misbelief is the mistaken idea your character has about herself. Could be she believes she is unlovable, or doomed to be unsuccessful, or that money will bring her grief or any number of things we humans impose on ourselves.
—Look at the scene you’re struggling with or resisting. Struggle and resistance to. a specific scene or chapter always have meaning. Most often, it means something is not working in the scene. And of course, figuring out that something is the hard part (sorry). I have found that often it’s as simple as moving the location of the setting. Have the last few scenes all been in the same place? Switch it up. Maybe your character needs to get outside, or conversely, inside. Even changing from one room to another can bring a fresh perspective.
—Other possibilities: it’s in the wrong character’s viewpoint, it needs to switch places with another scene, maybe you’re writing in the wrong tense, the people in the scene are not right, what the protagonist is doing is wrong. All of these sound simplistic, but look at where you’re stuck through those lens and see if they help.
—One of the best getting-to-know-your-character exercises: the ordinary day. Take your character through one of their typical days (from before the inciting incident) morning to night. This sounds almost silly and inconsequential, but over and over again I find it a rich source for understanding my characters better.
The way out is always through
Which mean…more writing. The only way to get out of a writing slump is to write. Hair of the dog, get back on the horse, and all that. But you don’t have to actually write in your manuscript, you can write around it to easy yourself back in.
Journal
And by this, I mean write diary style. Forget about your WIP. Just write about your personal life and what’s going on in it. How are you feeling about things? Let it all out on the page, the good, the bad, the….you know. Maybe, just maybe, some of these personal emotions might inspire your character’s. But if that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t matter. Journaling can help you remember how to write with ease and flow, and maybe even that you really do like this thing called writing.
Prompts.
Find a prompt. (They are everywhere, including here.) Set a timer and write for 15-20 minutes. (You know the drill.) But here’s the thing—don’t worry about taking the writing back to your novel. Just write where the prompt leads you. It could be a long-forgotten event you’ve experienced or a whole new character emerging on the page. Or a description of an outpost in space. Doesn’t matter. The point is to write, and let you muscle memory take over and remind you how much you love it (as with the journaling above).
Okay, now go have at it. And please do share in the comments if any of these tips and techniques get you back to your novel.
Beta Readers
I’m looking for beta readers for my soon to be released romance/women’s fiction novel. In case you’re not familiar with beta readers, they are basically, well, readers. You read to give the author feedback on character, plot, what interested you, what didn’t. It’s an unpaid gig (sorry) but when the book is published I’ll provide you with a copy and my eternal thanks. Here’s a link that tells more. It’s oriented towards the author and is probably TMI, but it will give you an idea what to expect. Reply to this email or drop a comment if you’re interested.
Paid subscriptions
I’m planning my first workshop for paid subscribers. It will be sometime in September after everyone has gotten back into their routines and the topic is going to be, wait for it: Plotting for Pantsers and Pantsing for Plotters. Several of my clients requested this and I cannot wait to dig in. When it comes to plotting and pantsing, most will convince you that never the twain shall meet. But I think each camp has much to offer the other and that often a middle road is the best. I’ll explain all in the workshop!
When you subscribe at the $8 a month level, you’ll get access to this class and others I’ll offer monthly going forward. Founding members get a one-on-one coaching session upon sign-up!
Also, I can help you with your writing and anything related to writing and getting words on the page. This could take the form of ongoing book coaching, or a manuscript evaluation. If you’re interested, drop a comment. Or reply to this post if it comes into your inbox.