Writing Through Writer’s Block

Writer’s block sucks. There’s nothing worse than longing to put words to paper, motivation oozing from every pore of your body, but there’s no inspiration to launch those words into fruition. The frustration is palpable, bitter on the tongue. It’s hard enough to find those fleeting moments of euphoric drive, but to lose those to writer’s block is not only piercing defeat, but a mournful tragedy.

What if I told you I had a sure-fire way to get over writer’s block?

I’m not even sure if it’s my own original idea, but it’s what I do, and it works every time. It’s also very simple. Just take a scene from a movie and write a novelized version of it.

The scene should be related to what you want to write about, but if it isn’t, pick a scene that would be a challenge for you to write. You can either watch the scene first or do it from memory, but be sure to note exactly how the scene begins and ends.

You’ll need to make some decisions about point of view and who is telling the story. Describe the scene, both physical and emotional. Feel free to modify the dialogue or even leave some of it out. You want to have enough time to write the entire scene, but if you happen upon your muse during the process, follow her. After all, this exercise is ultimately about overcoming writer’s block.

Why would I suggest wasting your precious writing time by replicating something that has already been created? Basically, it boils down to finding inspiration and encouraging practice.

First, it serves to get the creative juices flowing.

Just as athletes warm up before exercise, writers need to warm their engines up before hitting the road. I almost never finish this exercise because partway through I often find the inspiration I needed to focus on my own writing; all I needed was a warm-up.

Whether you finish the scene or not, the exercise doesn’t have to be just some mindless writing activity you file away to never see the light of day again. Instead, your movie scene can serve as a framework for a scene in your own story. You’ll need to change the details, but you have a general setting, characters interacting, etc. already in place. Re-work the details and dialogue for your story and you’ve recycled the exercise. You spent the time writing it, you might as well use it if you can. Be sure that you use it as a general framework, building a unique home to decorate in your own style. In the end, the scene should be yours and blend seamlessly with your plot instead of being some disguised version of the movie scene.

Finally, this exercise forces you to use your writing time proactively instead of wasting it staring at a blank screen.

Masters must practice their craft, and writers are no exception. Even if you write the entire scene and you neither get over writer’s block nor do you recycle the scene, you still did meaningful work toward honing your artistry. Time well spent.

This is one of the most powerful tools in my writer’s toolbox and I hope you find it useful enough to add to your own. Happy writing!