Ending Writer's Block

Writer's block is that inability to think of something.  Technically, that should be impossible.  How do you not think of something?  (Assuming you're awake.)  What most people feel, however, is that they cannot think of something original . . . something never before done.  Well, that's what's causing your block.  That is impossible. Somewhere, somehow, in some form, everything has been written.  There really isn't anything absolutely, 100% totally original.  So look at what you're trying to do from another angle.

Don't think about something original.  Think about something you like then give it your personal flavor. That's all the 'twist' anyone really can do.  

I imagine back in Shakespeare's day there was someone sitting in The Globe Theater, watching one of the bard's greatest plays while thinking, "Oh, please . . . the ancient Greeks already covered that." And back in the day of the ancient Greeks, sitting in an amphitheater, one fellow nudged his neighbor saying, "That old tale has been passed down more than fifty generations of storytellers."  And if we could go back in time, we'd probably find Ugh, a caveman who'd point at his handiwork on the walls, proclaiming in caveman-speech, 'Ugh write story first." Okay, Ugh would probably be right.

So forget the "so original no one ever thought of it" approach.  But if still not convinced, consider this, you can never know that no one thought of it.  You can research and be reasonably sure that no one ever wrote it.  Then ask yourself this . . . why did no one (when there's been billions upon billions of people) write it?  Is it because it's crap?

Instead, mine for ideas.  Search your experiences and your tastes for what you like, what you believe, and what you want to say. Or mine every media form out there. See what's popular and analyze why it's popular. Take something that's crap and figure out how to fix it, find that nugget buried in the pile.  Or turn the whole turd into gold. Take something you like and do something else with it . . . give it a spin, a different vantage, or a twist. Often, changing one element turns the story dynamics into something different.  And different is really about all anyone can do.  But different is okay.  It's great even.

Think about it.  Whether or not you like Harry Potter, what J.K. Rowling did was fantastic.  I love Harry Potter, but he's hardly original.  Long before Harry attended Hogwarts, Mildred Hubble went to Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches in the novel and HBO series "The Worst Witch."  (Jill Murphey wrote those stories.) And before Mildred were countless scholastic books about teenage witches that I read as a kid.  Even Archie had Sabrina. So let's look closer at Harry and his world.  The lad encounters unicorns, dragons and centaurs.  All creatures that have been around for centuries.  So . . . not original in that respect either.  But still the series is great.  Part of why it's great is that we can all connect to going to school.  And in the end, the story is about Harry's life; it's not about all those things that J.K. Rowling didn't make-up. She drew on teen-angst, how a social outcast could feel, and on all the familiar tropes readers know and still love. She took unoriginal pieces and put them together in a wonderful mosaic that is uniquely hers.

Another thing J.K. did was take familiar/mythological tropes and tweak them to blend with her world. For instance, she gave the centaurs a specific purpose that supported her world. As another example, she took the magic wand and elaborated on its construction, endowing it with different properties based on the type of wood. Her work is quite masterful on many levels and borrows from mythology.

Borrow on purpose, for you may as well know from where you borrowed.  Know what is expected then deviate within acceptable ranges. Determining what's acceptable is the trick. There's no absolute help as standards constantly change to reflect society's current views. However, as the old saying goes: If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck--call it a duck.

For example: Suppose your variation on a centaur was to change out the lower body and substitute fish for horse. That would be an unacceptable deviation for a centaur because you've instead created a "duck" in the form of a merman. So call it a merman.

If you are borrowing from the best and there's virtually no change, then write an homage or a parody.


Starting from Scratch
 
Here are some simple thought exercises (along with a little pen-and-paper homework) to help you generate an idea.

1. Make a list of all the "Professions" you think would be interesting.  If you're writing a fantasy or
    something historical consider the various occupations of whatever time period you like best.  If
    you're writing science fiction consider which branch of science or exploration you find interesting . . .
    or maybe how some mundane job today (like garbage collecting) will be different in the future.

Why start with a profession?  Because, like it or not, we are all a little bit defined by our jobs.  This is true of characters too. And, with a profession comes  work--something that happens.  In the core of something happening you can find plot.  So the "profession" gives you a leg up on character and plot.

2.  Pick one Profession and make a sublist of the difficulties associated with that job.  What sort of
     hazards can be expected?  Why is that job necessary?  Is it necessary? Can something or
     someone replace it? Who is the "boss" of that job?  Who needs the job done?  Is there any sort of
     competition involved?  How does one advance? What happens if the job is done poorly?

3.  Flesh out your Character a little bit.  Give your character two goals . . . one job related and one
     personal. Next, each goal needs at least one obstacle.  If you're writing a short story, it's possible
     you only need one goal and one obstacle. The obstacle can be a person, place or thing.

If you're writing a novel, your character will require a lot more--a history even.  For a short story, all you need is the "illusion" of flesh and bones. If your character has opinions and those opinions come from some alluded-to experiences, the character will have had a "life" originating before the story's beginning. That sense of previously existing is often enough to make a character real. But avoid cluttering the character with unrelated issues or thoughts (especially in short fiction) as they may sidetrack the reader. Worse, the reader may find those unrelated issues (which are often unresolved) to be more interesting than the actual story. That means you risk leaving the reader dissatisfied.

For more on character-building . . . see my notes on Giving Characters Character.

4. Do some construction on your world. Whether you're writing something contemporary or imaginary,
    whether set on a fantasy world or a space outpost, you must make the world feel real to the reader.
    This can actually be harder in a contemporary setting. People familiar with Chicago know when you
    get it "wrong." People who have never been to Chicago will want to feel like they have really been
    there after reading your story. That doesn't mean you have to go to Chicago to write about Chicago.
    It means you have to make every world feel 3-D. You do that be giving the world depth.  A world has
    to "work." There has to be a sense of jobs. A sense there is an economy. A government. etc.

For more on world-building . . . see my notes on World-Building.

5. Having done some world-building and some characterization, look at them in relation to the job.
    Now--list any and all events that are likely to happen.  You're working on your plot at this point.

I like to co-develop the character, the world and the plot.  Easing out a little of each at a time. It's one way to avoid writing yourself into a corner. Whether you like to write organic or develop an in-depth outline, you should have some sort of idea where the story is going. The ending is the summation of what you were trying to say. Not knowing is like not knowing the point of your story. A little wandering while discovering the best path is fine--and can even be rewarding--but, as a generality, knowing the point of origin and the point of destination is the surest means of ensuring you get there.

6.  I like to have a theme.  But not every story must have one.  I do think it enriches the story and allows
     for "echoes" to occur from one scene or event to another. Most often, themes can be phrased as a
     proverb, adage, old saying, etc. For instance--"Let sleeping dogs lie" could be seen throughout a
     story in which the protagonist repeatedly stirs up issues (of a variety of sorts) by sticking his nose
     into business that doesn't concern him. This same theme could be played towards humor or horror.
     It could have a moral.  Is it wise to let sleeping dogs lie . . . or foolish? It depends on where the
     story is going.  Most of the time the theme will come out naturally.  Sometimes it requires a little
     coaxing.  Certainly, once you have a plot and your character has a few traits, a theme will usually
     present itself. Every once in a while the desire to write a particular theme actually suggests the story
     to me.


Consider Anthologies

As a reader, I love about anthologies.  I love the fact they have a theme, that every story shares some common element.  It's a great way to contrast all the different approaches to the same theme.  And, given that I bought the anthology, it means I'm likely to enjoy the stories because whatever their theme was, it was something I liked. Anthologies are a great way of finding new writers--or writers new to you.

From a writer's standpoint, I love submitting to anthologies.  Partly because people are likely to keep an anthology and not throw it away. Mostly I love the challenge of creating a story to fit a specific theme. Between writing projects, I search for anthologies and stack up their guidelines by deadlines.

Often, I pick an anthology based on a theme I would have never otherwise come up with.  I pick those that interest or intrigue me.  But finding the ones that are challenging and difficult topics are the most exciting. Developing those stories exercises my creative juices.  And they can do the same for you.

1.  Search for Anthology listings.  You might try Ralan's.
2.  Print the guidelines for an anthology.  Read them very carefully.  Remember, the editor knows what
     he/she is looking for.
3.  Develop an idea that fits the desired description.  

All right, I admit that third part is the harder part.  However, the anthology guidelines have given you a starting point. Either the anthology has a type of character required--for example, Vampires--or it has a theme--for example, love's bitter loss--or you've been given a setting, what-have-you.  The anthology has given you something.

As with the exercise above, start by writing across the top of the paper all the elements required in the anthology. Then start making your lists. What do those elements suggest to you? Write down anything related to them. Write down things you've seen or read that would have been a good fit. (This list is your mines for digging, places you can pull out a nugget to carve into something that is yours.) Now, in the collection of words and phrases on your lists, will any of them come together? Does anything stand out, call to you? You have the pieces; start solving your puzzle.

Remember, adhere to the guidelines exactly.  Editors will appreciate it.

Try Reverse Engineering

Sometimes the easiest way to solve a mathematical proof is to go backward--start at the desired end result and work toward the front. From a writing standpoint, that could mean start at the end of the story and ask yourself, what would have led up to this?

Another way to "work backward" is to start with a title and let it be the influence for the story--as opposed to having a story then figuring out a good title for it.

1. Pick an adage, an old saying, a proverb or such and begin with that.
    For example: My Brother's Keeper

2. Start making a list of all things the title suggests. Who would this title be about?  
    In the above example, it immediately sets up expectations for a first person narrative.  Clearly the
    point-of-view character has a brother. And either the point-of-view character is his/her brother's
    keeper, or there is a third person involved, the keeper, and the story is about the keeper.

3. Now address the "Whys" of the matter.
    Why does "my brother" have a keeper?  Why does he need one? Perhaps the brother is dangerous,
    or insane, or maybe the point-of-view and the brother are not even human, but animals in a zoo.

4. You've covered Who and Why . . . now figure out What and Where. What will your story be about?
     Where will you set it?