How to get out of a writing rut?

[AnimeKitty]

I'm stuck on a scene for both novels I'm currently working on and can't get past them. For the first one, the issue is a character not being fully developed yet since she's new. For the second story, I can't figure out how to write these few chapters for much needed scenes to get the plot moving. What do you guys do when you're stuck like this? How do I get unstuck?

[darthmongoose]

When I'm stuck, there are usually a few of things that work:

1. Go for a walk, sit and think with just music and a cup of tea (no TV, youtube, books, comics or games), have a bath or lie in bed to think about it. Letting your mind wander without distractions can really help.

2. Write a bunch of radically different ways to solve the problem. No idea too ridiculous, just jot everything down. Somewhere among it all there's usually at least the seed of a good idea.

3. Talk about what the problem is to somebody else, or even to a stuffed animal or pet, or write out exactly what the problem is in enough detail to clearly outline what's causing the plot snarl and what parts of the plot are blocking you from obvious solutions. A lot of the time, while describing what the problem is, you'll spot the solution. In programming this is called "rubber ducking" (explaining what your code is meant to do and why you coded it that way to a rubber duck).

[Neverseen]

I've heard of some people writing a completely unrelated short piece. It may provide inspiration or just keep you in practice while you mull it over. A couple times I found it helped.

[rajillustration]

I either skip it and leave it until the next draft to write out because if you are still working on cementing your ending, then of course you don't know what their deal is yet. If I've already done a few drafts of the story and still don't know what to do, then I like to brainstorm different options, and choose my favorite, even if it's not perfect.

Usually it's my perfectionism getting in the way of just finishing the story, and I have to accept "this is good enough." so I'll stop worrying about it. Usaully when I go back in subsequent revision passes, I'll realize what I was stressing over, was actually just fine. Or, because I'll be approaching revisions as a reader and not as a writer, then I'll notice some character development that needs to happen and fits nicely into a scene that felt blank before.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

Surely someone will suggest just writing it one way & publishing it. Then it's almost guaranteed that a better way that "you should have done it" will occur to you, now that it's too late. lol

[Kaydreamer]

I just start working on a totally different scene, so I'm not wasting time trying to untangle the knots of the current one. Those knots usually work themselves out after a few weeks of casual mental exploration, and I'll come back to writing that scene once they have.

[ratscout]

Perhaps slow the pace of the first story down a bit? Give the new gal some room to be developed with her very own chapters and stuff? For the second story, I suggest that you just push yourself to write. We all have those chapters that we just get stuck on, and sometimes, the only way to get past them is to just write, even if, at the time, we think what we're writing is trash. Keep in mind that you can always edit them if needed. I'm not really a believer in writer's block, which might get a few chairs thrown at me, butI think the greatest cure for it is just to write, write, and write some more.

[AnimeKitty]

@darthmongoose Those are great ways to get back into the writing mood! It helps to get in a space where you can really let your mind wander and come up with ideas. I ended up figuring out a way to end the scene I was stuck on, and while it's not perfect, at least I can move on. I decided to get this rough first draft fully written before publishing, so I can write as crappy and crazy as I want now. I'll edit once I finish the entire story and slowly work on publishing it online.

@Neverseen Yeah, sometimes those little pieces can help. I've already got so much on my plate. I'm not sure if I want to add any short stories yet. Maybe I will sometime in the future when I get stuck again.

@ratscout Thanks for the advise! Slowing the pace might help, so I'll give that a shot. I'm working on developing the new character and how she'll play into the story. It can be super freaking hard to push yourself to write, but that's exactly what I did and chose to stop publishing so I'm not pressuring to get so much written and published. Haha, yeah I feel like writer's block can be a thing but it's more of feeling burned out by your series or just too worried on making it perfect.

@rajillustration Definitely can relate to perfectionism getting in the way. Thanks for the response and advise! I decided to stop publishing until I finish the stories, that way I won't need to worry much on making it good enough. I can write a slightly horrible first draft and nobody will ever see it.

[adamii]

i think its impossible to do so but we can try
here are few tips

10 Ways To Get Out Of Writer’s Rut
* Change the sex of your protagonist or antagonist.
* Change viewpoints if you’re stuck. Write it from another character’s perspective. Try writing in a different viewpoint. Write in first person if you always write in third person.
* Commit to the writing life. Writers write. Set up a daily writing routine. Set aside a minimum amount of time or commit to writing a number of words every day.
* Enrol in a writing class. Leave your old, tired ideas at home.
* Make to-do lists for your character. Or send your character shopping for a character he hates.
* Play the what if? game for your character. If you still can’t move forward, rewind and get the story back to a point where your character can move on with the action.
* Promise yourself a meaningful reward when you finish.
* Stop editing. Carry on writing. You can fix the draft later. You’re looking at a minimum of eight rewrites
anyway – plenty of time for editing.
* Use a timer for the scenes you find difficult to write. Just do it.
* Write a synopsis. Or you could even consider plotting your book.

[Maps]

This happens to me often. I find the most inspiration when I take a drive and listen to random songs with lyrics. Having lyrical inspiration has been big for me.