Comments on: NaNo Tip no. 6: Emergency Unstucking Techniques

By: Emmie

Emmie — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:47:08 +0000

Great tip! In my case not really the first part, but the “make ‘em suffer” part. I think i read the same thing on Tamora Pierce’s site, but forgot it ’til now.

I love the reference to City of Bones. Made me lol – literally! A perfect example.

By: Katie-wa

Katie-wa — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:43:33 +0000

Looks like it’s totally irrelevant for me to mention the renowned and infamous TSoD. So I won’t reiterate.

When I’m stuck, I take a look at my conflict and plot. Do my characters have adequate and realistic drive? What are they moving towards? How can I make the story more meaningful? What am I missing? What is the best piece to tell right now? Does the reader understand, or do I need more character building or information revealed at this point?

Usually, getting stuck is due to lack of conflict or being unsure of how to best tell the story. But that’s okay, because you can ALWAYS fix it later! You can! So just scrounge up some intensive conflict, and it’s all good. ^_^ Like Justine said, “Make ‘em suffer!”

By: Nathalie

Nathalie — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:08:14 +0000

Ms., you so rock and your blog is awesome! Once again you were a life saver with your post. Thank you very much!

By: Becca

Becca — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:06:58 +0000

I think the showering idea is totally underrated (at least by me, at least this month) and I think I should get myself to a shower right away. Thanks for that. (And my family thanks you, too!)

Actually, Sam’s comment made me realize that I may have an Unsticking technique of my own – I don’t care if I write linearly. I do a scene or two or three, and then tomorrow I can connect the dots. I think they call that Organic. But really, it’s more like schizophrenic. Call it what you will. Whatever works.

By: Steffie

Steffie — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:43:20 +0000

Plot Ninjas left by past!me and my friends help. To help me, my friend wrote random Plot Ninjas and hid them. I also placed a few random prompts throughout my room. When I’m stuck I search around looking for a Plot Ninja. Not only does it get my body moving, but I can to pretend I’m a ninja as I look for the notes!

By: Mary Elizabeth S.

Mary Elizabeth S. — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:57:49 +0000

I’ve just been infected by the shovel. Which is weird, because I’m not even doing NaNo. And before the shovel showed up, my book totally didn’t have a murder in it. That shovel is a menace!

~Mary

By: gabfra

gabfra — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:16:18 +0000

most definitly my favorite tip so far.

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:50:15 +0000

Usually when I get stuck it’s because I’ve just finished writing A, and I want the plot to get to C, but I have no idea how to write B.

Sometimes I just FORCE myself to keep writing even though it’s horrible, in the same way I force myself to eat cans of healthy-but-foul-smelling tuna. What I write doesn’t have to be good. Like Lyssa said, it’s okay to suck!

When that doesn’t work, I just skip writing B and go straight to C.

Totally agree with Pixelfish that the shower is a top place for thinking. I have no idea why, but that’s where I’ve come up with some of my favourite ideas.

By: Julie Polk

Julie Polk — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:46:04 +0000

Quick follow up: the shovel serves the same purpose as the gun, clearly. I think the bigger point is that thinking about using it felt really awkward and forced (I guess I thought the murder had to happen organically or it was cheating, somehow?) until it took all of four seconds to crack something open. Possibly literally.

By: Lyssa

Lyssa — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:41 +0000

Thank you for posting these tips! They have been incredibly helpful.

Reading poetry always helps me get unstuck, especially poems by Andrew Marvell or William Shakespeare. Poetry is just such a beautiful art form, it never ceases to inspire me.
I like to make my characters suffer as well, it can really help you find out exactly who your characters are when you make them go through hard times that force them to make decisions.
But i think the best way to get unstuck is to just keep writing whatever comes into your head. You can always change it later. It is just a rough draft, after all. I think that when we ask too much of ourselves, we will always get stuck. Sometimes it’s okay to suck. :]

By: Marko Kloos

Marko Kloos — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:38:46 +0000

Change your process. If you usually write on the computer, switch to longhand for a few pages, or drag out the old typewriter. If you work at home, go out to a coffee shop. If you always work in the same coffee shop, go to a different one.

Shaking up the process usually helps me to prime the pump.

By: Kay Cassidy

Kay Cassidy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:38:36 +0000

I’m with PixieFish. A nice hot shower really helps me figure out a scene that’s not working. I think it’s a combination of the water (Pisces here) and the lack on Internet distraction.

By: PixelFish

PixelFish — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:16:20 +0000

I shower. And drive. Both seem good at letting my brain switch gears and jiggle something loose.

By: Julie Polk

Julie Polk — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:14:05 +0000

There is apparently a NaNo tradition of a Traveling Shovel of Death that makes the rounds of many NaNo novels.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/taxonomy/term/112

I read the thread thinking, “That sounds like one of those crazy NaNo things that make people say NaNo is crazy. Why would I want to be crazy like that?” And then I realized that not only is my story partly about a century old murder mystery, one of my characters is a GARDENER. I hereby add the Shovel to the Chandler solution pile.

By: Pamela

Pamela — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:12:47 +0000

I like the part about dancing. I havent tried that one yet.. so im going to try tonight.. they are going to a holiday party ball type of thing in my novel so it seems appropriate!