Check out this great piece, readers:
How I Overcame Writer’s Block: 5 Techniques
Have you ever lost traction on a writing project, or wondered if you can actually finish writing a whole book? I’ve been there!
This is the story of how I finally beat writer’s block.
With my first novel, Poison Bay, I often wondered if I could write a whole book. You can’t really know till you’ve done it. Just write. My best suggestion if that’s holding you back is that instead of asking yourself “what if I can’t write a book” try asking “what if I can?” Reframe the question.
With my second novel in the Wild Crimes series, Venom Reef, I already had evidence that I could indeed write a whole book, but then the manuscript stalled at 38,000 words.
Just stopped.
Not a small interruption. It stalled for more than two years!
I’d invested a lot in this manuscript.
- I loved the story and the setting, and was excited about the development of my continuing characters and how it would build the series.
- I’d done an expensive and difficult research trip to a tiny island on the Great Barrier Reef. I’d interviewed university researchers and made videos and taken a million photos and videos. I’d taken two weeks out of a busy schedule for a personal writing retreat and written a chunk of words.
- When I got home from the trip, I’d persevered with bleary-eyed 5 am writing slots, eating away at my word count target.
- And I’d even added a teaser for Venom Reef to the back of Book 1.
Then, suddenly, at 38,000 words, I just couldn’t seem to touch it.
How embarassing!
Kind and enthusiastic friends kept asking me how my book was going, which is such a lovely thing for them to do, but also excruciating.
Do you know what I’m talking about?
