by Jean Sidden

Created on: May 19, 2010

What does it mean to write yourself into a corner? This is a term that may mean different things to different writers but it is always a term for being stuck. Different from writer's block, writing yourself into a corner likely has more to do with plot development and where to go next in the story. The important thing is to find ways to get yourself out of the corner.

Getting yourself out of the writing corner may mean a complete shift in the journey your story is on. You may need to backtrack, back up and examine how you got in the corner in the first place. Are you rigid about your initial idea? Does this idea have enough potential to be able to present you with open doors to creative development? If not you may need to do a serious re-structuring or rewrite to get the ideas flowing and the pathway open and clear to proceed.

If you're having a hard time re-working your plot, it may be time to get away from your desk and take a break. Get out into nature and get your head clear so new ideas and creativity can flow. Do something completely different for a while and hopefully it will jolt your creative juices. Go to a museum or listen to music and try to find inspiration in other art sources. Go to a play and take a look at how a playwright works out plot development. Read a book and look for an idea through someone else's writing.

Writing yourself into a corner may cause enough frustration to send you into a phase of writer's block. Don't give in; make sure you keep writing. You could start another writing project and find an idea to get out of your corner while working on something else. The point is to keep writing something until you've found your way out.

Don't dismay your writing corner. You're there for a reason and once you work through the reason and get yourself out your writing will be better. Writing yourself into a corner can be a blessing in disguise because it tells you the path of your plot was going nowhere. When you grab the idea for how to write your way out of the corner you'll wonder why you hadn't thought of it in the first place. Now you have the opportunity to embellish your work and get it moving on what will no doubt be a much more interesting journey. 

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