by Katherine Reay, @Katherine_Reay
Recently I was asked how I handled Writer’s Block. (I’m capitalizing it because it does incite fear and seems worthy of proper noun status.) Without thinking, I replied, “I don’t believe in it.”
And neither should you…
Writer’s Block implies there is an obstacle out there that we writers cannot anticipate, control, or even prevent from derailing us. It stops in our tracks like a frozen shoulder (anyone know this trial?) or the flu. And when it does strike, it feels like the flu too — it immobilizes us, saps our energy, steals our joy, all while we hope it will clear up within a week or so.
Don’t give it that power!
Writers write and there is always writing to do. My hope is that if you feel that immobilizing moment creep within you — and it can — write through it. Don’t let it stop you for a heartbeat. Go back to the beginning of your story and revise, work on a synopsis of your manuscript for submission time, write character sketches, create plot diagrams… There are so many ways to engage your story in new and different ways that you’ll sneak around your own inhibitions before they have a change to entrench themselves.
I could also suggest stepping away from your story at this time to write a blog post or an article — and those are excellent endeavors too, as they keep the writing juices flowing, But I believe that keeping within your story, at this potentially low moment, is important. Therefore, I suggest you stay within your work-in-progess and focus on approaching it in a different way.
While these ideas might not create a substantive “word count” for the day, I promise you this work will prove invaluable. It is not time wasted. You will dig into greater depth, find avenues previously unexplored, and create new tensions and conflict, to name just a few benefits. You’ll find your way through that barricade and your story will be the more powerful because of it.
Thanks for spending time with me today.
And Have Fun!
Katherine
Katherine Reay returns to the cozy and delightful town of Winsome where two people discover the grace of letting go and the joy found in unexpected change.
After fleeing her hometown three years earlier, Alyssa Harrison never planned to return. Then the Silicon Valley start-up she worked for collapsed and turned her world upside down. She is broke, under FBI investigation, and without a place to go. Having exhausted every option, she comes home to Winsome, Illinois, to regroup then move on as quickly as possible. Yet, as friends and family welcome her back, Alyssa begins to see a place for herself in this small Midwestern community.
Jeremy Mitchell moved from Seattle to Winsome to be near his daughter and to open the coffee shop he’s been dreaming of for years. Problem is, the business is bleeding money-and he’s not quite sure why. When he meets Alyssa, he senses an immediate connection, but what he needs most is someone to help him save his floundering business. After asking for her help, he wonders if something might grow between them-but forces beyond their control soon complicate their already complex lives, and the future they both hoped for is not at all what they anticipated.
With the help of Winsome’s small-town charm and quirky residents, Alyssa and Jeremy discover the beauty and romance of second chances.
Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author of several novels, including Dear Mr. Knightley, The Printed Letter Bookshop and the upcoming Of Literature and Lattes. She has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books and brings that love to her contemporary stories. Katherine’s has also written one full-length nonfiction work, Awful Beautiful Life. She holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University and currently lives outside Chicago, IL with her husband and three children. Publishing credits also include Redbook, USAToday, Christianity Today and FamilyFiction. You can meet Katherine at www.katherinereay.com or on Facebook: KatherineReayBooks, Twitter: @katherine_reay and Instagram: @katherinereay.