by Alena Wendall, @alenawendall
Are You Stuck?
Have you ever sat down to write and realized your character has eaten the same meals, or met at the same coffee shop in the last four scenes? Or everything you’ve written seems boring and mundane?
It’s right about that time, I feel the urgent need to do something else besides write.
You pause. You tap the keyboard. You check Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and who knows what else. Before you know it, what was two hours of hoped for, productive writing, time turns into the same half edited, half written scene.
Here are a couple of things that might help get your characters out of the coffee shop and into a rich, vibrant place where words will fly, surprise plot twists and characters that captivate your readers long after they close the book.
The Advice Column.
Remember Dear Abby? Check out an advice column and see what kind of problems people are putting out there. Maybe you will be able to incorporate it into your story. Not only the story but the columnist published a solution. What if your character took the solution and it didn’t work? What about your character’s profession? Can you research the profession and find some unusual professional dilemma?
Truth Can Be Stranger Than Fiction.
We’ve all heard that before. Seriously, though ever find out some strange fact and wonder could that have really happened? Check out local happenings in your town history. Can you use something to add a twist to what your writing?
News
Sometimes when I listen to the news, I ask what if that happened to my character? How would they handle that? Check out the current news headlines and see if anything jumps out at you.
Move
This one is my favorite. Sometimes I just need to move. Change my view, my perspective. I love to go for a walk with Fido or a short work out video or just lunges around the house. I’ve even been known to wash the dishes.
What about you? How do you get unstuck?
Blessings!
Writing as Alena Wendall, Alena Tauriainen pens contemporary Christian romance novels that always end with a happily ever after. By day, she partners with her lifelong mate Clyde, to run the family HVAC business. She manages both business and family life with four lovable but crazy kids. She is the Retreats Coordinator for My Book Therapy. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner with Books & Such Literary Management. Visit her at alenawendall.com.