by Rebecca Williams

Created on: June 26, 2009   Last Updated: June 27, 2009

It's happened to all of us. Sitting in front of a blank page, wondering where those ideas went. The dreaded Writer's Block is back, this time with a vengeance.

There are many ways to combat It. Different solutions are for different situations. For instance, if one is stuck in the middle of a novel, one could go back and work on more detailed character sketches or skip to a different scene. Tolkien wrote by working until he was stuck or had a problem, then starting completely over from the beginning. But what about the person who has ideas but just can't seem to put them on paper? I recently discovered, or perhaps subconsciously remembered or re-invented, a solution.

Write what is currently true. First person narration or third person description both work. Say, "I sat at my desk, fingers idly tapping the keyboard, waiting for words to come." Write, "He picked up the pen and twirled it between his fingers, staring out the window, hoping for inspiration." Alternatively, describe the weather. "It was a glorious summer day. Birds chirped, clouds drifted around lazily. The sun shone brightly." Beginning with the weather is not always a terrible idea. If it really is a dark and stormy night when you are attempting to pen that story, don't say just that. Describe it in great detail. "Another crack of thunder boomed as lightning lit the sky, changing the pattern of the angry thud of heavy rainfall."

While writing what is true, another idea should come. I once began a story with a description of the day, and then wrote, "It was the perfect day for a murder." Another time, I wrote down how I was feeling and caused a wizard to come off the wall. I tend to try for incongruity, making changes so sudden that the reader almost gets whiplash. I have always enjoyed the writing of Douglas Adams, who did the same thing. I describe his writing as taking you down one road, and it looks like it might be a little bit boring, then you suddenly take a u-turn and you're in this great, mysterious new world.

The wonderful world of fiction is yours to explore, experience, change, manipulate however you will. This is your story, your universe. You are a god, if only while you hold that pen or keep fingers to keypad or keyboard. Anything can happen, if only you want it to. Writer's Block? The best way to defeat That is by writing, putting words on paper. There is always something to say, even if it is a detailed description of how there is no idea present. Do that, and you will find that those ideas were just lurking around the corner, waiting for you to write past.

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